Strawberries and Watercress

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Duration: 59 minutes

Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr wants the public to revive its tastebuds and be more discerning when it comes to the British strawberry. He serves up a blind taste test with Wimbledon strawberry aficionados Sue Barker, Andrew Castle and Tim Henman, and makes history with a charity that's reviving the age-old practice of gleaning. He also visits East Malling Research Centre, where he uncovers EM 1764, the British strawberry of the future.

Saturday Kitchen's James Martin discovers that sales have halved for watercress over recent years. He takes a ride on the Mid-Hants Railway Watercress Line as he pleads the case for this once-loved British product, following its historical trail to Covent Garden where he tries his hand as a watercress street seller, and finds out why this leafy salad is so good for us - from the only man in the country with a PhD in watercress.

More episodes

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  • More about Michel Roux Jr

    Episode 1 - Strawberries

    Michel Roux Jr took over the helm at the world famous Michelin starred Le Gavroche in 1991. Since then, he has won numerous awards for his cuisine and has continued to set the standard for classical French fine dining in London. Prior to Le Gavroche, Michel honed his skills working for master chefs in Paris, Lyon, Hong Kong and London, spending two years with Alain Chapel and cooking at the Elysée Palace for President Mitterrand.

     

    Michel is a judge and presenter on MasterChef: The Professionals and hosted Michel Roux’s Service, where he trained eight young people in the art of front-of-house. In previous series of Great British Food Revival, Michel looked at the way we cook with bread and pears.

     

    Look at more of Michel's recipes on BBC Food

  • More about James Martin

    Episode 1 - Watercress

    James Martin is passionate about celebrating British food, using the best ingredients possible and creating simple, delicious recipes accessible to all. James’s early love of food was nurtured at Castle Howard where his father ran the catering. He often helped out and helped to cook for the Queen Mother when he was 11. James was just 22 when he opened the Hotel and Bistro du Vin in Winchester as Head Chef, changing the menu daily.

     

    James Martin regularly presents Saturday Kitchen and Saturday Kitchen Best Bites, as well as many programmes for UKTV Food. He also writes columns for the Mail on Sunday, BBC Good Food magazine and Sky Magazine. In previous series of Great British Food Revival, James looked at the way we cook with eggs and apples.

     

    Look at some of James's recipes on BBC Food

Credits

Presenter
Michel Roux Jr
Presenter
James Martin
Participant
Sue Barker
Participant
Andrew Castle
Participant
Tim Henman
Executive Producer
Bridget Boseley

Broadcasts

See all broadcasts of Strawberries and Watercress (5)

Recipes

Watercress Soup

Try own food revival at home with the recipes on BBC Food.

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