All language subtitles for Mary.Berry.Saves.Christmas.2020.720p.HDTV.x264-DARKFLiX_track3_eng

2020 has been a rubbish year,

and now, for some, even
Christmas dinner is in jeopardy.

RADIO: The North Pole have received
a lot of letters from people,

panicking about what to cook
this Christmas.

There is only one person
who can help them.

It is absolutely wonderful!

Mary Berry is coming
to the rescue...

Oh, dear.
This is not going well at all!

..of three kitchen novices...

It's burnt. It's really burnt.

..across the UK...

It looks like cement!

..teaching them to make
their first festive feast...

MARY: It really is
beautifully moist.

..for friends and family.

If this is the way
I say "Happy Christmas",

I'm getting fired.

With hard work...

Oh, my goodness, I'VE done that.

..and a sprinkle
of Christmas magic...

You're here to be my little elves.

..this could be the year...

It's showtime! OK.

..that Mary Berry saves Christmas.

I've got an amazing challenge
this Christmas.

I'm going to teach
three total novices

how to cook something very special
for Christmas.

I've got excellent recipes for them,

and I'm going to give them
a step-by-step guide.

All I know is that they
don't really understand cookers,

microwaves, have made
so many mistakes in the past.

Now, am I worried about it?

I'm absolutely petrified about it!

But I know the recipes are good,

so let's hope
they have great success.

Mary's hand-picked
three novice cooks

who all have one thing in common -

they've never cooked a meal
from scratch in their lives.

Over the next few days, they will
try to perfect one of her recipes,

before treating their friends and
family to a surprise festive feast.

I'm pretty nervous
about cooking a meal.

I'm nervous to use my kitchen.

Mary's first student
is zookeeper Jake.

I don't cook anything, erm,

nothing at all!

I would... Sometimes I have toast.

He's based in Somerset, and lives
on fast food and takeaways.

I can make good food for animals.

Yeah, if you're a lemur,
or a parrot,

it's fine. If you're a human...

Yeah, yeah, we don't know.

That is little four-year-old me
at the zoo

that I now work at.

Christmas at the zoo is like
every other day at the zoo,

but with tinsel, I guess.

All the animals don't know
it's Christmas,

but we do like to
make them presents.

Growing up, I always remember
Christmas-time.

My mum did a very, very good,
er, a good roast dinner.

I think I'd be in a food coma
for about a week afterwards.

I think cos she was a single parent
as well,

she did a lot to kind of make it
memorable for us.

So, I lost my mum when I was 20,
so three years ago now.

She had cancer for ten years.

I was left with my sister.

She was only 17 at the time,
and, erm,

it's difficult learning to
kind of live for yourself, I guess.

The zoo was a huge part in me
kind of getting through that.

Chris and Jane,
they were really good to me.

You can kind of go to them
with anything, and, er,

it's not like a normal boss
kind of situation.

I'm going to be surprising
Chris and Jane.

It's been a pretty rough year.

It'll be nice to end it
on something that's just positive

and is a celebration.

Today, Mary will meet
all three of her novice cooks...

Nobody told me you were handsome!

..and give them a recipe each
to learn and perfect

for their festive feast.

I have never met a Head Zookeeper,

and so you're a fantastic cook,
preparer of food for animals,

but you're rubbish, really,
at cooking in the kitchen?

I'm pretty rubbish at working
in a human kitchen, yeah.

I would love to tell you that I do
do a bit of cooking,

but I would be a liar.

And, so, your bosses.

Jane is very fond of you,
and keeps an eye on you,

and looks after you?

She does.

She does, even when
I don't want her to, see does.

It's been a pretty tough year,
especially this year,

with keeping the zoo going,

and I think it's going to be quite
nice to kind of top off the year

with a surprise for them,

and I don't think it's something
they're going to expect from for me.

I've got an amazing recipe
for you to make,

and I think that Jane and everybody
is going to absolutely love it.

Are you looking forward to it?

I am, I'm nervous, but, yes,
I'm looking forward to it.

It's just coming. Have a look.

All right.

First of all, a glorious
vegetable tart, a nice big one,

cos it's Christmas,
and the filling,

I'm going to have onions
and mushrooms, peppers,

and lots of butternut squash,

and all those vegetables
are set in a rich, creamy custard,

and it has that flavour
of Stilton, too.

It's just like velvet.

I'm going to make my own pastry.

Yes, I AM going to make my own
pastry, because it's Christmas.

Easy-peasy!

Put 225g of plain flour

and 125g of cold butter

into the food processor.

So, it only takes a few moments.

Then break an egg
into a little bowl,

add a tablespoon full of water,

and whisk with a fork.

Add this to the mixer
and give it another whizz.

There it is, it's come together,
as a ball.

Flour the surface,
and the rolling pin,

then roll it out.

Remember, the pastry has got
to be big enough

to go up the sides of the tin, too.

She's done that
in about five seconds.

Take the base,
and slip it underneath,

and then just turn that in,
all the way round.

It looks a bit higgledy-piggledy,
but it's a quick way of doing it,

and it's a safe way of doing it.

So, drop that in, go round,
pressing the pastry into the edge.

If, like me, you've got
your Christmas nails on,

use a wooden spoon handle,

then remove any excess
with your fingers.

Evenly prick the base with a fork.

This will stop the pastry
from lifting up as it bakes.

Then cool in the fridge
for about 30 minutes.

Now, the veg.

I've got a butternut squash here.

Be careful not to drop it,
it could roll.

Half the squash will go in,
and half will go on the tart top.

Remove the skin, top and tail,
then halve it.

I can do this bit,
cos I do this for the animals.

This tart is cram-jam full with veg,

so get a decent-sized pan
on the heat.

As the onion takes
the longest to cook,

I'm going to just toss that
in some oil,

and then cook it until it's tender.

Add half the squash, cut into cubes,

and a sliced red pepper.

Leave that for four minutes,
before adding the button mushrooms.

The smell is wonderful,

and we're getting there.

Now I'm going to season them
with pepper and salt,

there we are,

and let it cook in the steam,
just for a few more moments.

Now for the decoration.

Go back to the other half
of the squash.

Hope you're still with me.

Oh, geez.

This, I'm going to cut to triangles.

I bet you think I'm being
a bit slow,

but I want every slice to be even.

Chefs do it a lot quicker than I do,

but I do have all my fingers.

Blanch these in salted water
for a couple of minutes,

before refreshing with cold water
to stop them going mushy.

There they are, al dente,

and all ready to go
on the top of my tart.

Let's have a look here.

Those are cooked, they're seasoned,

put them to one side
and let them get cool.

And now to cook the pastry.

I'm going to bake it blind.

Don't panic.
It's perfectly straightforward.

Am I going to have Mary Berry
on speed dial?

First, scrunch up
the baking parchment,

then pour in the baking beans.

What are those? She's putting
some balls in there now.

Cook it at 180 fan,
on a hot baking sheet.

But you still want the base done,

so you take it out of the oven
after 15 minutes,

take out the paper and beans,
then back again,

so that the pastry underneath
gets beautifully crisp.

OVEN TIMER BEEPS

It doesn't look that difficult,

but I think that's because
Mary Berry's doing it.

Just going to put it to one side,

while I make that nice,
cheesy, silky filling.

Crack four large eggs into a jug,

followed by 300ml
of pouring double cream.

Nothing but the best.
It's Christmas.

A little bit of pepper and salt,

and that's the savoury custard done.

Now to the blue cheese.

I need 200g...

What's blue cheese?

..which actually grates best
from frozen.

Do you know, in old recipes,

it used to say,
"Crumble blue cheese."

Well, if you've ever tried
to crumble it,

you get more up your nails
and in your hands.

It's MUCH better to grate it.

So, I think we've got
everything together.

Deep breath.

It's time to assemble the tart,

starting with the cooled-down veg.

Doesn't that look colourful?

Move the Christmassy red peppers
to the middle,

scatter with the Stilton,

and freshly chopped sage
and parsley,

avoiding those peppers,

and now the savoury, creamy,
velvety mixture on top.

Finally, arrange the triangles
of squash around the edge.

That looks good, doesn't it?

Now, a little bit of oil
over the top,

just to give it a nice shine.

Get that back in the oven,
160 degrees fan,

for about 30 to 40 minutes.

You'll know it's ready

when the filling is just set
in the centre.

Do you know something?
I think we've got a winner here.

Now, don't be tempted
to tuck in immediately.

Allow 15 minutes
for it to set completely.

Oh, God.

She made it look pretty easy,
actually.

Cut a nice big slice.

How about that, then?

Gosh, it looks colourful,
it looks fun.

It does take time,

but, gosh, it's worth it.

How are you feeling about it?

I think it's doable.

I think I can,
I think I can pull this off.

You're full of,
you're full of confidence.

I don't think I'm going to
live up to your standards,

but I'm going to do my best
to make a Mary Berry-worthy tart.

I wish I was there by your side,

and I would be, in normal times.

Oh, I know. Good luck.

Thank you so much.

Oh, God!

With just a few days for the novice
cooks to learn their recipes...

OK.

..the pressure's on.

I've told Mary Berry that, er,

it's all fine,

but I'm a big fat liar, and it's...

..and I'm, er, I'm NOT fine.

But for now, we're heading to Hull,

to Mary's second student, Jess.

I try to stay away from the oven,

cos I've had some nightmares
with the oven before.

She's so bad at cooking,
it's a health hazard.

When I went to uni, I almost
burnt down our student halls,

to the point where all the students
had to evacuate outside!

Joe and I met at uni.

Ever since that year,
we've lived together.

We haven't wanted to kick
each other out just yet,

so that's a good sign.

Oh!

That's my two brothers, my mum.

That photo has been in my dad's
wallet for 18 years now,

and it's all, like, crumpled up
and old now, but it's so sweet,

that he still keeps it in his wallet
just to remind him of his family.

My parents have always
been there for me.

There's not one moment
that they've missed in my life,

which I'm really lucky to say.

I just don't know what I'd do
without them.

Yeah, I'm really, really lucky...

Oh, why am I being emotional? Sorry!

Oh!

I think this is my
second or third Christmas.

Ever since I was young,

my parents have always made sure
that it was such a special day.

So they normally spend Christmas
in Philippines every year.

I want to make sure that,
before they go,

they have something nice
to remember.

I'd love to just say, "You know
what, I'm going to cook this time.

"Not you, Mum. Not you, Joe. Me!"

This is just a way for me to show
them how thankful I am to have them.

So it's really important to me
that I don't mess anything up.

Hello, Jess.

Hi!

Oh, my God,
it's so amazing to meet you!

It's lovely to meet you, too.

Now, come Christmas Day,

would you do some of the preparation
for that, normally?

I'd try and help my mum, cos
normally she cooks for Christmas,

and what I'd usually do is
slice up some vegetables for her,

but I think, apart from that,
that's all I really do.

So you're the one
that lays the table

and hopes that Mum'll do the rest?

Yeah, my mum does all the cooking.

I'm very proud of her, to be honest,
because she can make anything

from scratch
and make it taste so delicious.

But it hasn't sort of
come down your line yet,

but I'm going to tempt you to do
a bit of cooking for Christmas.

I definitely need some help
in the kitchen, I'd say that!

So, I'm going to tell you what
you're going to be making.

Here's the recipe.

# Sleigh bells ring,
are you listening? #

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas
without turkey,

and I've chosen a turkey crown,

perfect for a smaller number.

This one's about
three and a half kilos,

and I reckon it will serve
six to eight,

and PLENTY left over for Boxing Day.

I'm going to give a rub over the top
with paprika,

and that's going to give it
a glorious colour.

Oh, my God!

Add a good knob of butter,

and a teaspoonful of paprika,

then season,

before adding the zest of a lemon.

I love the smell of lemons.

Mash it all together, any which way.

Right, then I'm going to have leeks,

to give really good flavour
to the stock and the gravy...

..and I'm going to include
the green at the top, too.

Well, at least I know
how to slice vegetables!

That's something I know I can do!

There it is. Now to the bird.

Spread the rub all over the turkey.

It keeps it moist,
so don't hold back.

Yes, I like to really get
down to it.

And I'm now going to put bacon.

That'll give extra flavour,

and also it looks pretty good.

Crisscross about six rashers
over the top of the crown.

If you're nifty,

you can hold them in place
with little sprigs of rosemary.

I've tried all sorts
of other birds. I've had goose,

we've had roast beef, I've had ham,

but always go back to turkey.

So there's our turkey crown,
in all its glory.

Oh, I bet that's
going to taste amazing!

First of all,
our leeks in the bottom there.

A little pepper and salt on there.

To guarantee gorgeous gravy,

pour 450ml of chicken stock

and about 200ml of white wine

into the roasting tray.

There we are. Plenty left for me.

Then put the rack in.

The wine, and the stock,
and the leeks,

all that flavour will add to
the moisture of the bird,

and I'm going to cover it
with foil, to start with.

I've set the oven for 200 fan.

Now, that's hot, and I'm going to
cook it for one hour,

then I'm going to take the foil off
and do it for a further half hour.

OK.

I need to make sure
to remember that!

To go with the turkey,

I've chosen an easy yet decadent
side,

that saves you having the worry of
lots of pots bubbling away at once.

This is a vegetable gratin dish.

It's an all-in-one dish together,

and it's full of flavour.

Put a good knob of butter in a pan.

Follow that with
four thinly-sliced shallots,

and about 350g of carrots,
cut into fine strips.

Season with salt and pepper,

stir them round
for just 30 seconds or so.

Then I'm going to tip that
into the dish.

Then I'm going to add a third
of the cream, a third of the stock,

and then just press that down.

Then I'm going to do potatoes,

and if you've got any scruffy bits
of potatoes, put those in first,

cos I want to have the top
looking beautiful,

with the overlapping
of the potatoes.

I'm not one with making
a dish look beautiful,

so that'll be good to learn.

Add another layer, and season again,

before finishing off with
the last of the stock and cream,

and then we'll be putting some
grated Parmesan cheese over the top.

Then I'm going to cover
that with foil.

So, that goes in at 200 fan,
with the foil on,

for about half an hour.

With the foil off,
about another 30 minutes.

Have a look at it
and see how it's doing.

It may need a little bit longer.

Right, my turkey crown
has had an hour and a half.

It should be cooked to perfection.

Oh, the smell is absolutely lovely.

Oh, that looks amazing!
It's making me hungry now.

Now, it's so important
to leave it to rest.

Tuck it up in foil,

and cover with towels,

so you don't lose any heat.

Also, this stops it drying out.

Right, we're on the gravy.

In the pan,

I've got all the juices of the bird,
the stock, the wine, leeks,

and I'm going to strain that
and use it for the gravy.

Skim off about three tablespoonfuls
of fat from the top of the juices,

add it back to the roasting tin,

then work in
three tablespoonfuls of flour.

Then I'm going to add this
and beat like mad.

Add a splash of Worcestershire sauce
and a little gravy browning.

I normally just use
store-bought gravy!

So that's really interesting
to know.

Great consistency, but I think
it'll be a little bit sharp,

so I'm going to add
a little redcurrant jelly.

You'll know the consistency
is perfect

when it coats
the back of a spoon.

Look at the shine on that gravy,
and that's how gravy should be.

Now, that's the hard work done.

Time to plate up.

It's going through like butter.

It really is beautifully moist.

Ooh, that looks...
that looks so juicy.

That looks great on the plate.

And now to the gratin.

Gosh, that smells good.

I've got some petits pois, and some
chestnuts and some sugar-snap peas.

I can definitely say, if I do this
right,

my parents and my partner
will be really impressed.

Hot gravy brings
the whole meal together.

So, there's my turkey crown,

just the perfect roast
for Christmas Day.

Now, Jess, what do you think
of the recipe?

I think it's going to be
very challenging for me to make.

I've never tried
a turkey crown before,

so it's going to be
really interesting.

I promise you, I've made the recipe
as detailed as possible,

and I hope that that will help you.

Thank you so much.

Mary's final novice
lives in Northumberland.

I still can't believe Mary Berry's
going to be, like, mentoring me

on how to cook something.

Bra-fitter Claire
is a Christmas superfan.

Christmas is
an amazing time of year.

It's the time of year
when I can get all me snowmen out.

I've got a collection of about 200.

It makes me really, really happy
when I do that!

So, I live with Tony,
he's me husband,

and we've been married for 14 years.

Aw, Tony's...Tony's lovely.
Tony's me world, basically,

I don't know what I would do
without him.

One of the first meals I cooked
for Tony was spaghetti bolognese.

It wasn't till later on that night
he said,

"You do know you had left the paper
on the mince, didn't you?"

It's been a bit of
a funny year, with lockdown.

I've been furloughed from work,
Tony's been at work.

To be able to be,
you know, at home and cook

something for him would be,
like, amazing.

So, I'm going to be cooking for
Tony

and really close friends
Steve and Angela.

They're good people,
they're good friends

and it would be nice just to, like,
treat them to something nice.

SNOWMAN: Ho-ho-ho! Merry Christmas!

Hello! Hello, Claire.
There she is.

How are you?

I'm very well, thank you very much.

I'm... Yeah.

So, Claire, do you enjoy cooking?

My idea of cooking is basically
getting a jar out of a cupboard

and chucking it in a pan,
or something like that!

I do cook a little bit,

but I don't cook anything
from scratch at all.

And so your partner is Tony,
and I think he looks

after you and does a bit of cooking
for you?

You've got away lightly,
haven't you?

Yeah, I have, actually.
I've got the life of Riley!

No, Tony's very different
when it comes to cooking than me.

I'm kind of a slapdash,
kind of chuck it in the pan

and hope for the best
type of thing.

Well, I've got a very, very
lovely recipe for you to do,

and I think it's going to give them
the wow factor.

Fabulous.

And now for the most decadent
pudding, dessert -

whatever you like to call it -
ever.

A pavlova filled with mango,
passion fruit, limoncello,

all in whipped cream.

Right, to start, separate six
egg whites,

then whisk the whites
in an electric mixer on full speed.

I've been careful that there's not
a trace of egg yolk in sight.

Separate...
How would you separate eggs?

And I'm going to turn it on to full
speed until it looks like cloud.

This is my description of cloud.

It just sort of holds its shape,
but I couldn't make it into a peak.

Now, with the mixer
back on full throttle,

add 350g of caster sugar
a little at a time.

Look at that!

Mix a teaspoon of cornflour...

Cornflour... Cornflour?!
In a pudding?

..and a teaspoon of
white-wine vinegar together.

Vinegar in a pudding?!

Now, I know it sounds strange,

but add that to
the glossy meringue mixture.

Now, it doesn't taste of vinegar -

it just makes it squidgy
in the middle.

So, there's my meringue.

Absolutely gorgeous.
All in peaks.

Pure white.

It looks Christmassy,
it looks like snow at this stage.

Now, I'm going to do it into
an oblong.

I've got some nonstick
parchment paper

and I've done, with pencil,
40 by 10.

Turn the paper over, then use
four small dollops of meringue

in the corners to stick it neatly
to the baking tray.

And that's going to keep it
firmly down.

Otherwise it'll be slipping
up and down.

And now I'm going to use
about three quarters of the mixture,

and I'm going to make it
in a long shape.

And then I'm going to scoop out
a bit down the middle.

Oh, my goodness.

I'm just going to be hysterical
when I do this.

I'm just thinking,
it is just going to be a mess.

There's our tranche in the middle
where all the filling goes,

and I'm going to do eight different
little swirls all the way down.

Get yourself a large piping bag,

add a rose icing nozzle,

and fill it
with the remainder of the meringue.

Don't let piping shake you.

It can feel daunting, but it's not.

The swirls look amazingly easy,
but I bet they're not.

That's it.

Heat the oven to 140 fan,
but reduce it to 120

as soon as the pavlova is in.

This gives a warm blast
to start with,

then it just dries it out.

So, that needs an hour,
an hour and a quarter,

until it's got a tinge of brown
and is crisp on the outside.

The smoke alarm is going to
be going off!

On to the filling.

Get two beautifully ripe mangoes,

cut one into cubes,

the other into slices.

It's jolly slippery.

I'm holding it quite firmly.

So, we've got the cubes, the strips.

Then I'm going to do
some passion fruit.

Scoop out the pulp
of five passion fruits

and set to one side.

Then whip 300ml
of pouring double cream.

Now, it's coming thick
and I'm stopping early

because you can over-whip,

and I do not want a bowl full
of butter.

That is perfect.

Carefully fold in about three
quarters of the passion fruit,

the cubes of mango

and three tablespoons of limoncello.

That is perfect,

and that'll go in very nicely.

Back to the pavlova.

After the bake, turn off the oven,

but leave it there to cool down
for at least an hour

before taking it out.

As you see, it does swell a little.

Isn't that beautiful?

Good, good.

Mine'll be as flat as a pancake!

I'm quite relieved about that.
It came off quite easily.

And, at last, it's time to assemble
the pavlova.

You can make the pavlova
two or three days in advance,

but don't fill it till the day

because the moisture will go
into the meringue and make it soggy.

Carefully fill each of the nests
with a little of the reserved cream.

And now I'm going to decorate it
with the mango strips.

It's a bit higgledy-piggledy.

Some of them are big
and some of them are little,

but what does that matter?

That's far too big.

I think that's enough.

Top each of the swirls with chopped
pistachio,

then drizzle with the last of
the passion fruit.

And it trickles down very nicely.

A little dusting of snow -
icing sugar over the top.

It doesn't get much better
than that.

Don't you think
that looks sheer luxury?

One last job - no great chore -

and that is to taste it.

Well, Christmas has come for me.

It is absolutely wonderful!

So, Claire, pavlova -
how does that feel for you?

Very daunting. Very exciting,
but very daunting.

It's up to you now, Claire.

Good luck, and I hope it
all works well for you.

Fabulous. Thank you very much, Mary.
Thank you.

Yeah, I'm not as scared.

But I'm terrified still!

My very own Christmas present
from Mary Berry.

Mary's given her novices
everything they need to practise.

Oh, it's only four pages.
That's probably doable.

Remember, her detailed recipe
will produce great results.

I'm actually doing a grown-up task!

Of course, that's only
if you follow it.

Do you take this stuff off?

Oh! Am I meant to use a peeler
on it?

It looks like cement!

Love double cream.
Just a bit more for good luck.

How do you half a mango?

Ooh, that's overflowed a bit,
but that's all fine.

Are we going to do...? Holy...!

Oh, no. OK...

..that is burnt.

It's not... It's not thickening up.

Oh, dear, this is not going well
at all.

It's got cracks in it.

I don't know if it's safe to...
No. Oh, my God.

Oh, dear!
LOUD SIZZLING

Oh, dear, look at that.

I think Mary Berry is going to be

absolutely horrified
when she sees it.

MERINGUE CRACKS
Oh!

Yeah, that just looks
like a nest, doesn't it?!

If this is the way I say happy
Christmas, I'm getting fired.

Well, it may not be perfect,

but at least they've got something
for supper...

I don't think that tastes too bad.

..and leftovers that will last them
for the rest of the week.

Of course, Mary has left nothing
to chance with these novices,

so with their surprise festive
feasts fast approaching

and her pupils struggling,
she's called in some friends

to help out on the day.

Mary?

Comedian Tom Allen...

Tom, you're more than welcome.
Come in.

..broadcaster Angela Scanlon...

Angela! Come in. Hi, you!
You look jolly cold!

..and The Repair Shop's Jay Blades.

Welcome, Jay!
I hope you don't mind dogs.

No, not at all!
Come through to the kitchen.

OK. Come on!

So, welcome.
Lovely to have you here.

I did a bit of fortification
for you,

knowing that you're all boozers
and...

LAUGHTER

..that you're here
especially to be my little elves.

You're going out to help people
who cannot cook,

who are going to learn
to cook something

very special for Christmas.

You're going to be there
to hold their hands,

and I can tell you, some of them
need their hands holding.

And also, you're going to have
to do a little dish yourself. Wow!

Tom... Mm?
LAUGHTER

Right, you're going up to meet Jess,

and she is going to do
a crown roast of turkey.

Oh, perfect.

And you are going to make
some sugar-snap peas, chestnuts...

Oh, lovely.
..and some frozen peas.

You'll be pleased about that.
Frozen peas? I like that.

Are you confident in that?

I am, for once in my life,
confident.

And what sort of a cook are you,
to advise them?

I think I'm very good.

I did food technology GCSE
and I got an A-star.

Did you? Yes, I did, Mary.

I'll bring you the certificate,
if you like.

And what is your signature dish?

Um... A sandwich.

May I run a few questions by you?
You certainly may.

Good, cos I've made a list.

He's taking it awfully seriously.
Very seriously.

I have been planning...

This is a big day for me, Mary.
I don't like to...

ANGELA: He thinks
it's a competition.

It IS a competition. Is it?

It is a competition, right?
It's not a competition.

That's my first question -

what is the cash prize
at the end of this, Mary?

There is not one.

Well, I don't know why we're here!

You will get praise from me. OK.

Mary... Yes.

Foil - shiny side in,
shiny side out?

It doesn't matter.
What?! I assumed...

Makes absolutely no difference.

There are many complications
in this world, and that's...

And that's not one of them!
Not one!

So as long as you're happy,
I'm on to Jay.

I... Well, I am... I was
going to ask you about brining,

but there isn't time, Mary.

We'll to do it next time,
we'll do it next year.

No more, no more, Tom.

Jay, special dispensation
to wear your cap in my kitchen.

LAUGHTER
Thank you, Mary.

So, you're off to see Claire. OK.

And you're going to make a pavlova.

How's that for you? Pavlova? OK.
I'm not a great cook.

Well, I'm not a great cook...
I don't cook. I'm not like Tom.

Well, Jay, I don't like
to mention it, but...

OK, so imagine this -

imagine it all goes wrong. Jay...!

What? No, I'm just saying...
ANGELA: So pessimistic!

TOM: Believe in yourself, Jay!

You've got to prepare for the worst.

Imagine it does go wrong -
what can we do?

Repair it. It ends up...

LAUGHTER

How do we repair it?
How can we repair it?

One of the most-famous puddings
in Britain is Eton mess,

and Eton Mess is meringue that you
sort of squash up a bit... Yeah.

..and fruit.

And you just mix it together and put
it in a very spectacular dish

and a dusting of icing sugar.

Take it in.

It won't look half
what it should do,

but it's better than nothing.

But that's a repair job,
so we can repair it that way.

You got this.

And am I cooking, then?
What have I got to do?

Now, you are going to make
a gin cocktail.

Oh... That's nice.
With passion fruit.

Oh, I love passion fruit.

Not too much alcohol in it...
Really?

..until you've finished,
and then put a bit more in.

OK, I can do that. Absolutely fine.
You can do that?

I can follow instructions
AND I can give encouragement.

Angela... Mm-hm?

You are off to Somerset.

Ooh, I love Somerset!
Ooh, that suits you! Yeah.

And you're going to meet Jake,
a head zookeeper.

And he's a very handsome young man.

Oh, well!

JAY: Behave yourself!

I'm married, Mary!

You won't be soon!

But you're going to help him make
a glorious tart.

ANGELA GASPS
A savoury tart.

So, what do you want me to do, then?

You're going to make a salad
to go on the side

and it's going to have
rocket and broccoli

and toasted pine nuts,
and be dressed.

Love it. Absolutely love it.

And, generally, is he a cook,
or not really?

He's very good
at feeding his animals.

OK. Raw food? Raw food.

But he's not such a good cook.
But he's keen. OK.

That's half the battle, isn't it?
Yes. No.

LAUGHTER

You're like, "Mmm... No."
In other words, good luck.

Thank you. I'm going to need it.

TOM: You're going to be fine!

Mary, I have some questions for you.

Not again! Mary, I do.

Here we go!

Now, um, crackers.
Do you do them?

We all have crackers, yes.

And do you do them before dinner
or during dinner?

Well, usually we try to have it
at the end, but the little ones

always want it a bit earlier.

And we play games, and... Do you?

Well, don't you? No, we don't.

We have an argument
and we fall asleep!

What about presents?
When do you do them?

Cos we always do them
on Christmas Eve,

which is a bit controversial.

So continental!
It is very sort of...

When do YOU open your presents?

As soon as I wake up
on Christmas morn.

Run downstairs, tear them open.
JAY: Yeah!

And then put all the clothes on.

Jay, come on.
I'm with Tom on that one.

Christmas, Christmas morning.
You've got to get the presents out.

I mean, you're wearing them
for the rest of the day.

It's always clothes!
You've got to put them all on!

Have you ever regifted, Mary?

I'm a little bit nervous
of regifting

because my memory's
not what it should be,

and I might give the same thing
back to the same person,

so I'm a bit wary of that.

I wish you all the luck in the world
on your journey.

And good luck. Thank you.

The big day has arrived
for the novice cooks...

Oh, my God, it's actually
hit me now. This is crazy.

..and Mary has arranged
a magical local venue

for each of the festive feasts.

Where's the oven?!

I can't see an oven.

Friends and family are totally
unaware of what's in store.

All they know is to arrive at 5pm.

I've got a message.

Hello, Claire.

Good luck with that pavlova.

I know that you can do it.

Ahh!

I just can't believe today's
the day that I'm actually

going to have to do this recipe
and hopefully do it some justice.

I just hope it turns out all right.

Jake, I wish you
all the luck in the world.

I hope the practising's been
going well.

Remember, it's the pastry -
you've got to get that

absolutely perfect,
cos I do want Jane and Chris

to be really proud of you.

I'm feeling a lot of pressure.

Next year, it's going to be
gift cards, not...not food,

because, yeah,
I am feeling the pressure.

Jess, I wish you
all the best with your turkey feast.

I know you're cooking
for your lovely family

and I want them to be
really proud of you.

I'm feeling very nervous.

Hopefully it will turn out amazing
before my family arrives here.

Fingers crossed!

Yoo-hoo! Hello!

To give them every chance of pulling
off their surprise...

Hello, Claire! Hello!

..Mary's dispatched
her fleet of elves,

who have all been assigned jobs.

Hi! How are you? I'm good.
How are you? Great, thank you!

Angela's helping Jake
cook for his zoo family.

What do you want me to do?

He's hoping to impress them
with his vegetable tart.

You could do the pastry,
and then the veg,

and then I will do...

No. I'm just going to stop you
right there!

You want me to chop the butter?
Yeah, you can chop the butter.

Yeah? OK.

So, this is a big surprise for all
your gang, isn't it? It is, yeah.

Chris and Jane live at the zoo. OK.

So they live...
They have a flat upstairs.

So...
They're not just bosses to you?

HUSHED VOICE:
I think I'm their favourite.

Because we're like
a little family here

and everyone's kind of
everyone's best friend,

I do think that kind of adds
to the pressure a little bit.

It's quite pressured, isn't it?
It is, isn't it?

Right. So, into the fridge
she goes.

In Hull, Jess is cooking a
turkey crown and vegetable gratin.

I'm going to use Mary's tip

and get down and dirty with
the turkey.

Was that what Mary said?!

I don't remember her ever saying

"Get down and dirty
with the turkey."

She wants to surprise her
mum and dad before they head back

to the Philippines tomorrow.

So, on Christmas Day, Jess, do you
and your mum often cook together?

Well, she doesn't really
like any help in the kitchen.

She's that type of cook.

So there's a huge pressure, then,

to get this right for your mum,
if she's a good cook.

Oh, yeah, definitely.

When Mary did that with the bacon,
she was so neat about it.

I'm trying my best
to make it as neat as I can,

making sure that all the gaps
are equal to each other.

OK, ready to put it in the oven?
Yes. Thank you very much.

Right...

Um, Jess, aren't you forgetting
something there?

Foil! Foil!

Mary said very clearly,
you've got to put foil on top.

Up in Blyth, Claire's attempting

a pavlova for her husband and
friends

to show them how much they mean
to her.

Tell me what you want me to do,
and I'll do it. OK.

These mangoes - they're horrendous.

The stones are in different places
in all of them!

Well, I've eaten loads of mangoes,
so I can help you on that one.

That's good. That's your job.

All right, I can handle that.
Thanks, Jay!

Ooh!

It hasn't gone everywhere yet.
No. That's good, that's good.

So, that's going to go into, like,
a cloudy texture -

is what you're hoping, yeah?

Going to go into soft clouds, yeah.
OK.

Do you know what we haven't done?

Don't tell me that.
What's wrong with ya?!

I thought you'd practised this!
I have!

What haven't we done?

I haven't turned the oven on.

HIGH-PITCHED ANIMAL CALL

Is that an owl?

That's the gibbons.

Wow. Exactly how I sound
when I'm hungry.

The three novices are halfway
through their cooking time.

So, are you ready for this stuff?

So, yeah, I kind of need
some limoncello.

Hoo-hoo! Have we got a glass?!

Can they give their friends and
family a surprise feast to remember?

There we go. Our turkey's ready to
rest. Great!

OK, so, gratin. Yes!

OTTER CHIRPS

So, what happens with the zoo, then,
at Christmas?

It just carries on as usual.

So I will work Christmas Day.

You will? Yeah. OK.

So you're used to feeding
the animals... I do.

..less so to feeding humans.

I've never had a human before.

That's a real vote of confidence,
isn't it? I know.

Would your mum be surprised that
you're cooking a vegetable tart?

Very! Yeah. She's probably looking
down at us right now thinking,

"What on earth's going on?"

"You wouldn't eat vegetables
for me!"

Right, in the oven?
In the oven. Timer on.

OK. Three, two, one - go!

So, who we are looking for, then?
Or who are YOU cooking for?

My husband, Tony.

So Tony knows nothing...?
Nothing. Not a thing.

He doesn't know that Mary's given
you this...? Not at all.

Wow.

And do you know, like, he's me rock
and he's always there for us,

he's always got me back, basically.

And I just... Yeah, I just love him.

Tony's going to be here soon.
We need to get this cooked. OK!

So... OK. What's next?
Concentration ahead. Yes, please.

I'm going to put
the meringue swirls.

OK. Let me see you
do your piping, then.

So, I'm absolutely dreaded
doing this,

because the first time I did it...
Yeah? ..I just got a blob.

Go on. I'm with you. Agh! Go on,
Claire. Honestly, I'm dreading it.

You can do this. Come on.

They look good.

As you would say - champion!
Champion!

Last one...!

Make it a good one now! Woohoo!

Hoo-hoo-hoo!

So, basically, in the oven?
It's now got to go in the oven.

Get it in the oven.

Fingers crossed!

So, what made you want
to do this meal, then?

I think it's just cos this year
has been really hard on all of us

and I think it's really important
to show my parents that we still

have the spirit in us
despite the year that we've all had.

I've spent a lot of time with them,
especially during lockdown,

and it's made us
all closer together.

Well, I'm really close to my family
as well, actually, so...

We're not a big family, but there's
usually the four of us. Yeah.

It's been quite a nice time to,
I think, appreciate my family.

I found myself really enjoying
spending time with them. Yeah.

It made me realise how fun
my parents are,

and they're not like other parents -
they're cool parents.

That's great, though.

This one's definitely not
going to be overflowing.

It's going to be a great gratin.

A GREATin. A GREATin! That's what
they're going to call it.

It's half an hour
until the guests start to arrive.

God, I'm feeling
a little bit stressed. Same!

Mary's elves still
have their jobs to do...

I'll start the cocktail.

..and the festive feasts
are far from finished.

So, next... Custard. Need to...

Oh, hang on, hang on. Oh, God...

You're fine. Just go really slowly.

We just need to cover that
to keep it warm.

Have you got tea towels and foil?

So, have you taken the peel off
the mangoes?

Look at you - you're a right
little taskmaster, aren't ya?!

In just a moment, their special
guests will arrive...

Hurry up, Jess, for goodness' sake!

Right! Um...!

..and they have no idea
what's about to happen.

OK, two to three minutes.

What's the main aim?
No lumps in the gravy.

I'm shaking a little bit. What you
shaking for? Are you nervous?

Yeah, I've gone really terrified.

OK, superstar. Hello. It's showtime!

Hello!

Hold on, hold on.

You know what? I think they're here.

No way!

Oh, hello!

Now, please do come in.
We've got some surprises for you.

'Ello!

Oh, wow! It's Jay! Hi!

How we going?
Hi! Great, thank you.

Hello and welcome.

Come on, Jane.

It's a little Christmas treat!

Thank you! It looks incredible.

Mary's three novice cooks had never
cooked from scratch in their lives.

Now they've done all they can
to impress their friends and family,

and it's time for Mary to find out
how they got on,

as her elves report back.

So, welcome back.

This is the exciting part for me.

I'm dying to hear how you got on.

I feel as nervous
as Claire did now!

I know Tom wants to win,
but it's not a competition.

It's not a competition, is it? Yeah.

No, it's not a competition.

Well, we'll hear more later.

Angela, you were down in Somerset.

I was in the zoo.

I can't wait to see how you got on.

Come on, let's have a look.
I'm a little nervous.

Oh, my goodness.
This is amazing.

Isn't it beautiful?

That's nice!

Isn't it?!

Hello, everyone!

What have you been up to?

OK, so this year
has been something else.

I do feel like we are one
somewhat dysfunctional family here.

You guys are like my siblings,
whether you like it or not.

And Chris and Jane, you are like
my parents when I have none.

And from the bottom of my heart,
I thank you for that.

So...I've actually prepared

the first meal I've ever made
in my life for Christmas.

Good...!

It looks lovely.

And I'm going to make you eat it!

LAUGHTER

And not only has he nailed a tart -

he has been taught

by the one and only Mary Barry.

Oh, yeah. Yes. You met Mary?

Mary has been kind of teaching me
some little tips and tricks,

which I'm very grateful for.

OK, I'm going to leave you to it,
to enjoy it.

Thanks, Angela.
Happy Christmas, guys. Thank you.

So we'll cut it open
and we'll have a look.

ANGELA: Yes!

Aw, that's perfect!

It's an actual, real-life tart.
Thank you.

That looks pretty good, doesn't it?

It looks delicious!

It tastes all right, don't it? Mm!

MARY LAUGHS

It's delicious. Very tasty.

Is it nice? Fantastic.
It's really, really lovely.

Well done, Angela.
You did really well.

It looked good, didn't it?

Jake, I do not know how we would
have got

through the last year without you.

I think we've survived as a zoo

because, by chance, we had the right
people that cared for the animals,

and it came together.

But what you have done tonight
and the effort you've put in

over the last few days...

You were saying something earlier
about family.

I don't have any children...

..but if I did have,
hopefully I'd have a son like you.

And I better shut up now,

cos otherwise they'll think
I've had too much as well.

So...about the pay rise...

LAUGHTER

If you're going to use bad language
like that...!

It... It is quite overwhelming,
actually. Yes.

Yeah, it really has touched
my heart.

So much generosity.

It's when it's unexpected, it comes
as an even bigger surprise

and makes you more grateful.

So a toast, everyone, to
the end of an interesting year.

And let's hope that 2021 brings
literally anything else.

So, cheers, everyone.

ALL: Cheers.
Thank you. Bless you.

Angela, I think you've done
a brilliant job.

Well done. Thank you.
Cos that tart looked amazing.

He did an amazing job, I think.

It was beautiful.

It was set in the middle,

the pastry was sort of brown
all the way under and up.

It looked magnificent.

Oh, I'm so happy!

I wonder how you did, Tom.

Well...I smashed it!

No, I...

Well, Tom,
you've given us YOUR version.

I want to see the real thing now.
Don't we all? Yes, please.

You don't trust me? I see.

Let's watch.

Ladies and gentlemen,
please welcome Jess and her...

..freshly,
beautifully prepared turkey.

You've surprised me!

Jess approached somebody who
you might know - Mary Berry -

for some help with preparing a meal
for her nearest and dearest.

And so Jess has been working
so incredibly hard all day long.

Jess, please tell everybody
why you wanted to do this.

Right... Well, I wanted to do this
for my parents and Joe

cos I've really appreciated them
being so supportive of me

all the time.

And especially, this is just
such a nice send-off for my parents,

and I'm going to miss you both
so much.

We'll miss you so much.
Thank you so much.

Are you proud of me?
Oh...! Very proud.

I love you.
Oh, don't! No, don't!

Cos when you cry, I'll cry.

LAUGHTER

Oh, that's gorgeous.

Thank you for doing that for us.

Is that for us? Yeah, I think so!

"Is that for us?"!

I'm going to leave you now
to enjoy your meal.

Lovely to meet you.

Thank you so much.

Enjoy, everybody. See you!

Let's hope it tastes
as good as it looks!

Let's hope so! Let's hope so.

What a gorgeous colour!

Ooh, that looks delicious!

That looks absolutely beautiful.

I love the rosemary and the bacon.

Such a perfect roast.

Yeah. Can we eat now?

Oh, yeah, definitely!

Better than restaurant! Thank you!

ANGELA: Oh, THAT'S good!

I didn't expect this happening.

It's all in, like, surprise.

This has allowed us to have
two Christmases in the same year,

so it's been extra special.

Did you ever think you could cook
anything like this?

Not in a million years.

Mary Berry taught me.

She's taught you well.

I'd like to wish my mum and dad

a safe journey back
to the Philippines.

Let's cheers to that.
Wishing you a safe journey.

Yeah, she's the love of our lives.

She's the most special being
on Earth, apart from my wife.

So I'd also like to thank
Mary Berry,

our very special guest.

I wouldn't have gotten
through it all without her.

So, thank you to Mary.

Let's cheers to Mary.
To Mary. To Mary.

Who taught our daughter well. Yes!

Thank you.
Cheers. Thank you, Mary.

I was really impressed
with the turkey, you know?

And then she saw the look on
her father and mother's faces

and I can think she thought,
"I've arrived."

Yeah, I think they loved it.

And all the different elements.

The sugar-snap peas, of course, were
a triumph, but that was MY work.

But... Well, let's not forget that.

And now the finale -
the end of the meal, a pavlova.

Yes.

That's one of
the most difficult things to get

absolutely right.

So let's see how she did.

Wow.

This is what you should
be saying wow to.

That's what I was...
I saw that behind you. Fantastic.

Claire, are you sure
you've made that?

I've made it from scratch.
Are you sure? No, no, I have!

Claire, you've got to tell them
why you've done this,

cos you've done a lot of hard work.

I just wanted to get
the three of yous here.

I'm going to cry,
so I do apologise.

Tony, I love you dearly.

You're me absolute rock.

You don't realise and you never will
realise how much you mean to us.

And, Steve and Angela, you're just
the best mates in the world.

Yous are there
through the thick and thin.

So I just want to say thanks
to all three of yous.

What a wonderful thing to do for us.
Thank you very much, Claire.

Oh...!

Aw!

Bless you. Brilliant.

I'm full of anticipation for this.

LAUGHTER

Wow!

It looks SO good.

I just hope it's going to be
worth the wait!

I'll have the biggest bit!

LAUGHTER

It looks so tempting,
beautifully finished,

and her star piping
is really amazing.

You've got the biggest piece!

LAUGHTER

She's laughing so much!

It's so great!

Mmm!

That's lovely. Fab!

Mm, that is lovely!

Well done, pet. Superb.

Aw, well done, Mary Berry. Wow!

No, well done, you!

Well done, you, Claire, yeah.

Gorgeous.

I'm very surprised at this, Claire
cooking this magnificent meringue.

Stop it!

And are you sure you didn't get this
out of a pack?

LAUGHTER

I can't believe Mary Berry's been
teaching Claire to cook.

You know, it's a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity.

LAUGHTER
Yay!

Mary Berry is
an absolute cooking legend.

She's made a massive difference
in me life.

She's changed how I think
about cooking.

Does anybody fancy
a bit of...a bit of a jig?

Come on!
Howay, let's enjoy ourselves!

ANGELA: A jig! I love her!

I mean, we have such
a lovely friendship, all of us.

We just make each other laugh
and we have such a good time.

We do everything together
as best we can,

and any time we do have together,
it's, like, precious,

so we make every minute count.

LAUGHTER

TOM: Oh, Jay!
ANGELA: Well done!

That was wonderful.
That was lovely!

JAY: How did it look?
Was it all right?

It was more than all right.

It was perfect.

It reminded me of how much joy
it brings to people

when you make something for them.

Whatever you make, as long
as you put love into it,

people enjoy it, don't they?

And that was so nice to see,
with all of those.

But, Mary, who won?

JAY: No winners...! There's
no winners! We're all winners.

As a matter of fact,
Mary's the winner,

for teaching all of the people.
Yeah, it's been so gorgeous.

There are no winners. Thank you.

Thank goodness, because I'm not
going to favour any of them.

But they all did well,
thanks to you lot.

Here's to you, Mary.

We made it in one piece!

Merry Christmas.

ALL: Happy Christmas.

# Sleigh bells ring,
are you listening?

# In the lane, snow is glistening

# A beautiful sight,
we're happy tonight

# Walking in a winter wonderland

# Gone away is the bluebird

# Here to stay is a new bird

# He sings a love song... #