Original subtitles

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... #