Original subtitles

Back in 2015...

Wow, look at that.

...an intrepid British couple...

Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn.

Wow!

...Dick and Angel Strawbridge bought a neglected, 45-room French chateau.

200-plus pages of reasons not to buy a house.

It was a huge, undertaking...

Right, we are going in.

It's so incredibly important to bring it back to life.

...but having spent so much time

creating this extraordinary family home...

I just don't think it's ever looked this good.

Service.

...and running a wedding and events business...

GUESTS CHEER AND APPLAUD

...they haven't had many chances to explore France.

But now, with their chateau almost complete...

Honestly, I can't... You're happy, that's good. It's exactly right.

...Dick and Angel are hitting the road...

It does feel like an adventure, darling girl.

...to explore their adopted home of France...

My girl's captain.

Oh, thank you. You must be French. Of course.

...uncovering its secrets...

Somebody's made a man-made mountain of salt. It's phenomenal.

Flamingos... In France.

Ah! This is magic.

...and getting off the beaten track...

I promised you adventure.

...in their 1950s 4CV.

Come on... Come on, little baby.

This time,

Dick and Angel are deep in the rural heartland of France -

the Auvergne.

Look at this beautiful view. Never mind the view, get the door open.

It's over 10,000 square miles

of rugged beauty, full of adventure...

Feels like we've gone through the wardrobe doors into Narnia.

...surprises...

See what you get me into?

It'll be worth it. I promise you.

...and shared experiences.

Is this comfort food or is this just good food?

It's good comfort food.

Look at that sun. That's amazing, isn't it?

Hold on. If you look to the left or the right there is snow in the air,

but we're just going through a little window here, which is good.

There's something rather cosy... DICK LAUGHS

...it's just really shnuggly. Oh, I love it.

Mid-winter in the Auvergne may be cold,

but this dramatic landscape

hides secrets just waiting to be uncovered.

This historical region sits west of the Alps,

north of Provence and south of Paris.

Not many people have ever heard of the Auvergne.

I know. I mentioned it to a couple of people...

Yeah? ..and no-one knew about it.

And that's not surprising,

it's one of the least-populated parts of the country,

and today, relatively few visit here,

but they are missing out on some of France's most amazing sights.

Look over there. See that? Yeah. That's a volcano.

And it's not extinct, it's dormant.

What does dormant volcano actually mean?

One day they may wake up. Is that...? Is that...?

LAUGHTER

That's what I told Dorothy who was quite worried.

LAUGHTER

Daughter Dorothy doesn't need to worry, though,

as the Puy de Dome, and the chain of volcanoes it sits in,

last erupted over 7,000 years ago.

It's completely stunning.

And we haven't even talked about

where the Auvergne got its name from. Hello?

The Arverni. If I said to you, Vercingetorix.

ANGEL LAUGHS Oh, no.

He was an Arverni and the Arverni were the tribe from the Auvergne.

In 52 BC,

local hero Vercingetorix led a rebellion

against invading Roman forces.

His statue has become an emblem of the region's capital,

Clermont-Ferrand.

This city is one of France's hidden gems,

offering travellers rich history, and some truly unique sights.

Wow! That is absolutely incredible.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is stunning,

even in near gale-force winds.

I thought we were going to be kind of secluded down this street,

I'm not going to be able to keep my eyelashes on.

You're worried about that? What about my moustache?

I can't afford to lose that.

Do you know the thing that fascinates me most about that?

In all the old cities where all the smog goes in there

and all that colour... is that colour because it's volcanic rock.

So, that's natural, it's not even grubby.

It gives this whole cathedral deeper, different beauty.

And, of course, the rock that it's built from is so strong,

that's why they can go that high.

I have never seen anything like it in my life.

Honestly, it is just the best thing ever.

Today, few realise that this great historical city sits on top

of an ancient volcano,

but what is better known is that Clermont-Ferrand was home to

the Michelin brothers who founded the now world-famous tyre company.

This is just my heaven, all these little boutique sort of shops.

Down its sheltered alleys,

there are opportunities to pick up collectables

and mementos of the city.

Bonjour, madame. Bonjour, monsieur.

Bonjour, monsieur. Nous regardons? Yes. Merci.

You spoke in French and he answered in English.

That happens all the time, darling, get used to it.

Angela, Angela, look at this, look. Oh, it's a Michelin Guide, 1929.

That's the Michelin early days.

Michelin Guide, Auvergne.

And remember this was done... This is the town of Michelin.

...it used to be called Michelin Ville.

They employed 120,000 people.

The Michelin tyre company was founded here

in Clermont-Ferrand in 1889

and in 1900, the Michelin brothers

went on to launch a series of travel guides full of handy tips

to encourage people to explore France.

See that? That's the Michelin Man.

Is this a guide to restaurants?

The whole idea of the Michelin Guide was to get people driving more,

so they would use more tyres.

That's... that's just genius idea, isn't it? Yeah, but this has got

more information. It's like a tourist guide, plus I think there

should be a section somewhere on how to check your tyres.

But in here, look, this tells you how volcanoes make mountains,

this is very special. Is there any restaurants in there, though?

It wasn't until the 1920s that the guide went on

to feature restaurants

and 1936 when the now famous Michelin star-rating system

was fully introduced. Today, the stars are still awarded

to the best restaurants in the world.

Right. We'll have that. Merci. Thank you. Merci. Au revoir.

This special old book is page after page

on the Auvergne's unique geography,

historic sights and secluded towns.

And Dick and Angel can use it to explore the region,

but for tonight, Angel has other plans.

Are we there yet?

We've passed perfectly good pubs, you know... and bars.

I know we're always going uphill, but I promise you,

we're going to be going down soon.

The city has many watering holes,

but Angel is after something a little more underground.

It's a toilet, darling. It's... Oh, Angela,

you can't come in here. It's the gents. This is ridiculous.

Whilst a hidden bathroom is a surprise,

thankfully this isn't the main attraction.

So, we're seriously going down here?

Right, follow me. Be careful, girl. Come on down.

Tell you what, you don't want to be doing this after a drink, do you?

I can hear music, I can hear music, so come on down.

This is for sober people.

I'm planning to go down sober and come up drunk.

The things you get me into. It'll be worth it. I promise you.

Come on, come on, come on, come on, we're there.

JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS Wow!

Below Clermont is a hidden web of tunnels and cellars.

SINGING IN FRENCH

The compressed volcanic ash known as "tuff" is soft

and easy to tunnel into,

but strong enough to withstand the weight of the city.

So, many buildings here extend deep below ground.

Enchante, nice to meet you.

SINGING CONTINUES

It's so different, it's like being in someone's living room

and they're just kind of hanging out singing. C'est dans ma cave.

It's his cave, we're in his cellar.

I love it.

A visit to this cave is by appointment only,

but if you do make the trip,

this place specialises in a very special aperitif.

Aperitif...

Gentiane is a local liqueur

made from the root of the gentian plant,

that grows at high altitudes on the volcanic slopes of the Auvergne.

A votre sante.

My first Genestine... Thank you. Cheers.

Oh! Smell, smell, smell, smell mine. It's fragrant.

Oh, It's very... sweet. Smell mine. Ah, bitter.

It's sweet and bitter. Oh, OK.

That's good. That's very good.

This particular brand was originally founded in 1845

by the Genestine family.

The bottle bears the image of the city's favourite local hero.

This is your logo. Yeah... I met him today.

Bartholdi? Bartholdi.

Bartholdi, he made the statue... quelle?

Statue de la Liberte. There you go.

So that statue of Vercingetorix in Clermont-Ferrand

was made by the same person who did the Statue of Liberty? Of course.

It turns out the Auvergne is full of surprises

and their 1920s Michelin Guide may hold yet more discoveries.

I wanted to have a quick look at this,

by the way, before tomorrow. The capital of cutlery.

That's an interesting one. You know much that sort of excites me,

I don't think I'm ever going to look at a Michelin Guide

in the same way. I feel like I want to go back

and collect the whole history. So we can go on these adventures.

UNTRANSLATED SINGING

Was it worth the walk? It is quite a special place, isn't it?

It feels different in here, I don't know if it's because we know it,

but, actually, I feel like I'm in a volcano.

THEY LAUGH

A votre sante. Merci, encore.

How beautiful is that countryside? Yeah.

How beautiful is that? Wow. It's absolutely...

And it's just not like our part of France at all. Stunning.

Even though we've got rolling hills, this is lumpy.

The volcanic landscape of the Auvergne has created distinct peaks,

forests, and plateaus.

Another Volcano.

I can spot them now. Another thing to add to my CV.

LAUGHTER

Today, Dick and Angel are headed for the town of Thiers.

Following their Michelin Guide,

they want to see how this town has changed since their copy was printed

nearly 100 years ago.

There you are. Chateau du Pirou.

Oh, is it? I didn't believe you.

It is definitely it. Oh, gosh.

Hold on, hold on. I just want to enjoy this moment,

because normally when you look at something with like

100 years' difference, there are things that have changed,

but nearly every detail is the same. Oh, that's rather charming.

I'd quite like to get a better feel of the geography of the place.

Do you want me to lead? You lead. Let's go that way.

Thiers sits 800 metres above sea level on the edge of

the Bois Noirs mountain range.

Thiers has really been shaped by the mountains here, hasn't it?

It is so rugged, but beautiful.

It's just so fairy tale because of the snow.

But it was the shape of the mountain

that actually brought the industry here.

It's all about using water power.

People in Thiers have been harnessing the energy

of the fast-flowing river Durolle for centuries.

Its waters drove the grindstones

that created the town's famous world-class knives.

At one point, this small town was the knife capital of Europe.

Today, the old watermills are no longer in use,

but this small town still makes 70% of the nation's knives.

That building is so stunning.

This is the Thiers version of, like,

the beautiful industrial warehouses,

kind of a little bit like Sheffield and it's absolutely beautiful.

Legend has it that the secret art of knife-making was brought back

to the Auvergne by knights returning from the First Crusade.

Every other shop is a knife shop.

For centuries, the pocket knife has been synonymous

with French rural life,

but here in Thiers,

even the most practical of tools can become a work of art.

Tucked behind an unassuming door in the centre of Thiers

is the workshop of fifth-generation knife maker Manu Laplace.

Ah! Bonjour. Nice to meet you. Lovely to meet you.

Hello, hello, hello. How are you?

This place is magnificent. My sort of place. You like?

If we wanted a one-off, unique knife,

you are the person to come to? C'est vrai? Is that true?

Because in my family we have been making knives for five generations.

Wow. All here? Yes, in Thiers.

So, can you do that? Can we make a knife with you?

If you want, you can visit my workshop.

Oh! Yes, please. We'll take our coats off, here.

Take your coat off, darling. Yeah.

I have a funny feeling he might get you working.

Manu has built on the work of his forefathers

to create somewhere that artists can mix with clients

and create one-off knives that last for generations.

Hey, hey, hey.

Wow.

The knives are crafted from rare and unusual materials

that Manu has responsibly sourced from all across the globe.

Look, look, look, look, look, look.

This is all the materials. All the materials.

Can we use anything? Yeah, sure.

And look at this, it's very unique.

Unique. My favourite word.

So, what is this? It's a fossil. A fossil.

If you can imagine 20,000 years old.

A fossil. OK, 20,000 years old, it has to be... a rhino.

No. No, it's a mammoth.

A mammoth? A mammoth tooth.

A mammoth tooth? Yes, it's unique huh?

That is amazing, I've never heard of that before.

You can imagine the mammoth. Yeah, you can.

20,000 years old. Incredible, huh?

And you can use that to put on your penknife? Mm-hm, yeah. Nice, eh?

This area is my sort of thing.

I like the natural tones, love the mother of pearl.

Love it. That is gorgeous. How old is this? 200 years old.

It's huge. Polynesian. French Polynesian.

This is a journey around the world. All the world.

You can make a penknife out of a mammoth's tooth? Mm-hm.

I'm only going to second guess my husband here,

but I think Mr Strawbridge would like

a pen knife with a mammoth's tooth.

But I wanted to get two pen knives.

I wanted to have a "his" pen knife and a "hers" pen knife

to last for generations. I understand.

For me, is it possible to have the same

but with a little inlay of mother of pearl?

Yes, because it's my speciality.

OK, decision made.

Unusual. Unusual and a little bit elegant. Done.

The first step for Dick and Angel's knives is to create the handles,

by working slices of 20,000-year-old tooth, preset in resin.

Every knife is unique because they're made individually

it's not a factory.

I think it's quite lovely.

He's actually putting designs on there... Gosh.

...on the spines of the knife. Yeah.

That is very nice.

You've got somebody watching. The workshop cat.

That's my old friend. Ah, my grandfather.

Is this your grandfather? Yes, and my uncle.

Ah! It's a family of Douk Douk.

The name of this knife is Douk Douk.

Manu is following in his forefathers' footsteps,

and now it's Angel's turn.

Her father, Papi Steve, was a jeweller by trade,

and while she's familiar with much of the machinery in this atelier,

polishing a 20,000-year-old tooth will be a first.

Ready? Don't touch. Don't touch. Do as you're told. Oui.

Angela, obedience. Obedience is very important.

She has to do exactly what she's told. I can't hear you, Dick.

The machine is on.

Whoa, look at the colours. Yeah.

This is all shiny and you turn it over and see what it was. Yeah.

Whoa, look at that for hand polishing!

I just so love Angela doing the work, it's just wonderful.

And with the sun setting over Thiers,

it's time to unveil the finished knives.

OK. Altogether. Altogether.

Wow! That is... Beautiful.

You have two inlays with the mother of pearl. Oh! Mother of pearl.

And yours is Damascus.

Damascus steel inlay? Yeah. Oh, that is stunning.

Oh! We've got little different designs here, as well.

If you see this. C'est quoi?

Like, the custom. It's the tower of the chateau.

Turn over, look, look, look. It's the chateau tower. Nice, eh?

That is so special.

I don't kiss many men. That is so special.

It's been so nice, like, tootling along

because you've got this sort of majestic countryside that feels

so different to anywhere that we've ever been before.

Nothing like our part of France.

Just 30 minutes away from Thiers

lies the northern-most department

of the historic Auvergne region - Allier.

The scenery is just breathtaking.

Here, nestled amongst the rugged landscape,

lies a diamond in the rough the historic spa town of Vichy.

Look at the colours on that. It's just so beautiful.

I could walk around Vichy all day, honestly.

Hold on. When the Romans found aquae calidae,

hot water, coming out, that's what they called the place.

It's about the same time as they discovered Britain, 50-plus BC.

One of its most spectacular sights

is the beautiful Art Nouveau Hall des Sources.

In its heyday, this would have been full of people

all coming to take the waters.

I cannot believe the size and opulence of this place

and it's still the same as what it was 100 years ago.

Housed in this elegant glass and iron pavilion

are the six springs of Vichy.

People have been travelling here to drink

and bathe in the city's waters for millennia.

But the city reached its heyday in the early 20th century.

Oh, look. For hygiene, you have to use your own goblets.

That's for you. Where did you get those?

I knew. I knew that because this is what you do.

Look, look, I've got mine. I've got mine. These are perfect.

We now are ready to taste the waters.

Right, well, we need to get a couple more of these for our picnic.

These are fantastic. They're to take the waters,

they're not for picnics. Come on. Oh, look. "Vichy."

It's claimed that these mineral waters

can cure 50 different ailments from digestive complaints

to skin problems.

Oh, it's hot and I'm actually really cold.

So, that was really nice.

Each water has different benefits

and is still prescribed as treatment to this day.

OK. Here we go. We're in the mountains

doing what people have done for a very long time -

drinking the waters. Bonne chance. Well done, Vichy. I'm not doing it.

The only good thing about that was it's warm.

I've got some in my moustache.

The distinctive, almost salty taste,

is due to the high amounts of sodium carbonate,

magnesium and calcium.

In the 19th century,

physicians sent people to Vichy for a three-week cure.

This all make sense now, because if you went to a doctor,

they would send you here for 21 days for therapy.

And it included drinking the waters. Basically, if you're feeling poorly.

Go and take a three-week holiday in Vichy. Yeah. That is interesting.

And I would like to try a different water. Another one.

Now, some of these waters are not for the faint-hearted.

Its most mineral-rich source is the lukewarm Lucas.

This water should only be consumed in moderation.

Luca, Lucas, and this says... It's good for metabolism.

Oh, yeah, but there's an extra line on that.

Oh, for skin as well. Maybe you rub it on.

I haven't smelt it yet. I've kept it at arm's length.

GASPING AND SPLUTTERING

I feel... That is so bad.

I genuinely feel bad because if I was prescribed that,

I don't know if I could drink it. It's interesting,

this has been running continuously for over 100 years.

It's so unique and so, sort of, special.

You know, the minerals don't travel,

and you have to come here to have the experience.

It's not like you can recreate this at home.

You have to come here and experience it.

Yeah, and then they've discovered not only is good for you,

but it's only good for you when it's fresh straight from the source.

With thousands of people from all over the world coming to take

the waters, the town boomed,

and soon, water wasn't the only attraction.

In the Roaring Twenties, people flocked to luxury hotels,

the theatre, casinos, and opera.

There's a lot of space here, isn't there? I know, it's huge

and I love the idea that once upon a time,

there was sort of ladies that would come to the opera

and they'd go to the opera house, and they'd need, like,

this big square and the big promenades,

because they all have big dresses on.

And casinos only ever happened in France in spa towns or in Paris.

And the money that would bring in is pretty phenomenal.

I never knew that. So, you could only have casinos in spa towns?

Yeah, which means people come in with their money.

Going to the opera in Vichy. It's so grand out here.

Can you imagine how opulent it's going to be inside the theatre?

The casino? The opera house? It's going to be amazing.

Built alongside the city's grand casino,

with 1,480 seats and 40 private boxes,

the opera house's monumental dome was painted by Leon Rudnick.

Roses, daisies, volubilis bloom in beautiful harmony.

The Opera House of Vichy is a jewel of Art-Nouveau style.

You knew Vichy was going to be plush, didn't you?

Oh, gosh. I knew it was going to be opulent,

but I did not expect it to be gold.

That's properly gold.

But the whole place is... It's got no pillars. It's a shell.

OK. The first opera I ever went to, I sat behind a pillar,

but there aren't any here so everybody gets a great view.

Have you noticed how many doors there are?

Look. Everybody gets their own little door.

I've never been to the opera. You've never been to the opera? No.

This is the opera house. You're here. You're here now.

You've done it. You've made it.

Today, anyone can visit here by taking a tour

with the city's tourism office or, of course,

by booking a seat for a night at the opera.

Comfy seats. Hello? Comfy seats.

Since it was built, this place has been very special,

but the only time I'd actually heard of Vichy

was to do with Vichy, France.

Second World War, the Germans occupied France

and on that very stage the agreement was signed that gave France

a degree of autonomy, but not really,

and the Germans controlled it. And Petain became the marshal,

and the Assembly signed up to the fact

that they were occupied by the Germans.

Gosh. Well, that is a serious side of Vichy

because I only knew the beauty products.

The beauty products. See, you knew the beauty products,

I knew about the French element in the Second World War,

but it's got so much more.

You can see why this was, like, the queen of the spa towns.

If you want I'll sing. Oh, yes, please. I'd love you to sing.

♪ Just one Corne... ♪ Oh, no, maybe I won't sing.

From the splendour and elegance of Vichy to the rich

and varied produce that the Auvergne is famous for,

Dick and Angel are searching for provisions

for the next part of their adventure.

I'm feeling potatoes, cheese and meat

and all sorts of things yummy and warm.

This is like a fairy tale.

I've never seen such a beautiful butchers.

It's gorgeous. Come on, come on, let's go. Let's get some meat.

Bonjour. Bonjour, monsieur.

Bonsoir. Ah, bonsoir. C'est soir maintenant, oui.

They're incredible.

106 years. Wow, that's pretty impressive.

You just... You wouldn't see, like, a rabbit with a pot

with some garlic, or, you know, there...

So, in other words, basically, "Och, that's a lovely wee bunny,"

and it's by the pot it's going to go into there.

Exactly and then the chicken, with the little chicks, you know.

By the pot.

These ceramic tiles were an early form of advertising

and similar can be found across France.

What do we need?

Oui. OK. So, that's basically gammon. Ham.

Yeah.

Oui, which is the poitrine. The ribs...

I've never heard of an iogue.

Never heard of an iogue.

Need some of that as well, don't we?

No. Oh, no. Oh, yes! Oui?

That's the real deal.

I think it would be rude not to go with that. Merci.

Dick and Angel are planning a meal

of two of the region's most traditional dishes -

Potee Auvergnate and Truffade.

Wahey, come on, girl.

I tell you what, those bags are feeling heavy.

I think that was one of my funnest times ever in

a butcher and it was the most beautiful butchers ever.

Whoo. That's a fresh wind.

That is a fresh wind, isn't it?

Dick and Angel are heading to the Chaine des Puys

and the rugged majesty

of France's most significant range of volcanoes.

The largest of these volcanoes, the Puy de Dome.

TRAIN ANNOUNCEMENT IN FRENCH

For the brave, there is an old Gallo-Roman footpath

that winds its way to the top,

but at nearly 5,000 feet

this 15-minute train ride takes visitors year round

and is a slightly more comfortable option.

It's not natural to be like, "I'm going up a volcano,"

it's just, I've never said that in my life, I've never even thought

that I would ever say that in my life.

But do you really think it's going to be cold-cold?

Go up 1,000 metres, you actually lose 8 degrees of temperature.

So it was freezing where we were, but when you go from that height

up 1,000 metres, which we're doing,

we go from freezing to -8.

In the winter months,

the volcano's peak can reach a brisk -17 degrees.

It's closing in. It feels different, though, all of a sudden.

Now everything feels like we've gone through

the wardrobe doors into Narnia.

On a clear day,

the whole chain of 80 volcanoes can be viewed,

stretching from north to south,

but today things are different.

DICK LAUGHS

This is the top of the Puy de Dome.

I don't know if I've ever actually had a beautiful view

like this before.

Do you know what you can do with this view? Not much.

This is like a blank canvas,

because we can actually be anywhere and picture anything.

Now, I knew that there's, how many, 79, cos we're on one now,

so there are 79 volcanoes over there.

There is a spa over there that I'd like to go to.

It's so incredible,

I've never been into such a white out.

I think this is what it's going to feel like when we go to heaven.

Don't go into the light. Don't go into the light,

you'll never come back.

The Gallo-Romans agreed that there is a celestial feel

on the top of the Puy de Dome.

Hidden among the clouds

are the ruins of a temple they built to the god Mercury.

There's also an international weather station

monitoring climate change.

Everything looks like art.

Look at this, I've never seen anything quite like it.

That's all just ice. It's an ice sculpture.

It is. Do you know what it reminds me of? Feathers.

It does look like feathers, doesn't it?

It's just, honestly, so beautiful. You... You're icing up.

As are you, your hat and your moustache,

hold on.

I have to say this sort of weather,

it just makes me want to just eat cheese

and snuggle with you. It does.

It's freezing. It is what the Auvergne is about, isn't it?

With this sort of weather you're gonna go and snuggle,

you're gonna go and get warm.

How was your first volcano? Eruptive.

I'd like to see one, is that too much to ask for?

I promised you adventure...

Careful, careful, slower, slower there might be a ditch here.

I tell you what,

I'm looking forward to that log fire.

After safely descending the volcano,

Dick and Angel have headed south

to one of the most sparsely populated

and geographically isolated parts of France - Cantal.

This secluded farmhouse is a perfect place to take shelter

and for Dick to cook his meaty feast of local specialities

the region is famous for.

Are you sure you've got the right address, babes?

THEY LAUGH I tell you what,

this looks like it's been made from the mountain.

Never mind that, we need some smoke coming out of that chimney.

Certainly do.

This 19th-century, four-bed cottage has a very rustic charm.

Where's a light?

You find the light. Hold on. Here you are.

Aha! Right. First things first, we need a fire. OK.

There's enough to get started getting us warm,

but that's not enough to cook on.

We've got this great big fireplace and we've got...

LAUGHTER

I'm going in, darling, I may be some time. Here we go.

I haven't been this excited about a fire in a long time.

It's ridiculous.

That's it, we cracked it... Ah, there's matches!

I didn't know there was matches there.

I'm going to have to find some more wood, we'll need some more.

Rock, paper, scissors to see who goes out to the wood house.

We'll go out together. The thought of you going by yourself

was never going to happen. I'll be your assistant.

In farmhouses like this,

meals were often traditionally cooked over a roaring, open fire.

So, a well-stocked woodshed is a must.

Gosh, you are so brave, coming out without a jacket.

Hey, when you're working it doesn't make as much difference. Here we go.

I'm loving this.

Here we go. Oh, gosh. Come on, girl.

Hold on, give us a second...

Ah, there's plenty. We have plenty.

It's covered in snow.

OK, try and get the driest you possibly can.

You take those. You got them?

Yeah, pile me up.

Oh, look at that. I can see the fire roaring through in here.

Right. Follow your footsteps and look at this beautiful view.

Never mind the view, get the door open.

How could you ever get bored of that?

If the fire goes out you would. Very true.

Come on. Get the fire going, girl.

The menu tonight is comprised of produce

that the Auvergne is famous for,

with vegetables, cheeses and meats creating

a meal perfect for a cold winter's night in the Auvergne.

You wanted comfort food. It's a Potee Auvergnate.

Basically, it's like a hot pot, and so in here we've got this iogue,

it's got flavour and it smells nice, doesn't it? The gammon's two bits,

one from the belly and one from the actual hock.

The thing about the Potee Auvergnate, it's not fast food.

It's peasant food, it cooks slowly.

Even the region's wine is grown on the slopes of the volcanoes.

Have you ever had any volcanic wine? Never.

This must be a first, drinking volcanic wine looking at a volcano.

Let's see what it's like. Your very good health.

It's easy to drink. That's amazing.

That view is just outstanding.

But it looks like somebody turned the world black and white.

Yeah, it does, actually. There's no colour out there, is there?

Fittingly, the Potee Auvergnate is from the Auvergne's past.

It's simple fare that would have been cooked

and eaten in farmhouses just like this

and Dick is keen to put his own twist on it.

Hear that? Listen, listen. The simmer of a Potee Auvergnate.

Lovely.

Have you used your pen knife yet?

No, but it's in my pocket, as it is all the time.

Is it in your pocket? Of course it is. All the time.

That's where it lives. Are you using yours?

I am. My first time.

As Dick cooks up a storm,

Angel takes the opportunity to get crafty.

This knife has cut this better than any craft knife

I've ever had. Look at that. That is perfect.

Honestly, you'd think that that was done on a machine.

Just making little sheaths to go with our gorgeous knives.

Dick's always got a knife in his pocket

and I think he'll like the fact that he's got a sheath that's made by me.

Now, a true meal of the Auvergne

wouldn't be complete without a Truffade -

an iconic dish made with waxy potatoes,

animal fat and Tomme fraiche, a mountain cheese.

I'm going to put my potatoes in with their skin.

OK, and I know every time people talk about Truffade

it is actually without the skins on...

Yeah? OK. ...but they'll be better for us

and as my granny used to say, "It makes your hair curl."

This is essentially two triangles,

but one's a little bit smaller than the other,

so when I come round and do that,

I've got my little pocket

and all I'm doing is a running stitch up and back, done.

With their traditional fare nearly ready,

and Angel's leather sheaths complete,

it's time for this humble Auvergneuse meal to begin.

Is this a candlelit dinner? Yeah.

Watch. Now does that look cheesy yum?

And I'm going to put it there.

Look at that. That. Oh, Dick. It looks amazing.

The gammon in there, the vegetables. Right.

Babes, I said I wanted comfort food.

Oh! Oh, my goodness.

Potee Auvergnate and Truffade.

Two of the region's most traditional dishes, all cooked on an open fire.

Good health, darling. Thank you. To the Auvergne. To the Auvergne.

Loving it.

Right, go on. See what it tastes like.

Right, I'm going for my potatoes

first because I'm Irish. Oh, are you? Yes, course I am.

That's amazing. Peppery and flavourful. It's delicious.

It's good comfort food.

I think it's to do with the volcanoes are so rich

in minerals, the soil that forms is great,

and that's why, you know, everything here,

it all tastes brilliant. The Auvergne is known for that.

It's known for good-quality produce.

A beautiful crisp evening

and the only sound is the crackling of our fire.

It's no exaggeration to say that this trip,

which ends high among the volcanoes,

has been a true journey of discovery for Dick and Angel.

It's felt like quite an adventure. I mean,

going up to the top of the volcano was majestic.

And I don't think I've ever really been in a white out like that.

When you took me underground in Clermont, that surprised me.

I always try and take you to somewhere that you don't expect,

but I have to say, I didn't even expect that door.

From being literally in the windiest conditions,

the whitest conditions, the gentlest conditions.

I have not expected there to be such change throughout our journey here.

And the things I just didn't associate, you know, Vichy,

the elegance of Vichy was really quite special, wasn't it?

So, so gorgeous, I love all of that.

Thiers and the engineering of making knives

and doing all of that and the skills we saw there

and the fact everybody was so proud and I'd never heard of it.

But then we have got pen knives for generations now.

It's been beyond magical, but the pen knife for me...

Where's yours? Mine's in my pocket, where's yours?

I want to start using mine,

so I have made us both a little sheath.

Is that what you were doing?

There you go, it's got a little bit of fabric in there.

DS? Yeah, Dick Strawbridge.

Wow. Now it's not going to get scratched.

That's exactly it. So, cheers, darling.

Thank you so much. You're welcome, babes.

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