On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Twelve drummers drumming, Eleven pipers piping, Ten lords a-leaping, Nine ladies dancing, Eight maids a-milking, Seven swans a-swimming, Six geese a-laying, Five golden rings, Four calling birds, Three French hens, Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree! Filming has begun on THE HAIRY BIKERS' TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, a culinary and musical journey through the verses of one of our most popular Christmas songs, with imaginative recipes representing a range of dishes you might cook over the festive season, each cleverly matched to the season and relating to the lines in the song.
Dave and Si explain: “This is a proper, unashamed Christmas special, hung on our version of the twelve days of Christmas. Using the song as narrative, we choose Christmas recipes each of which follows on to the next, with a great use of left-overs from the previous recipe. Everybody's made turkey fricasse – we show you how to make a proper, really tasty goose risotto – but you can use left-over turkey instead.”
The boys cook a partridge and pear dish in the town centre of Norwich and go in search of the real Alan Partridge (Aha), seemingly based on a disc jockey at the local radio station. They cook in the medieval city centre, steeped in atmosphere, peppered with unique architectural treasures and with a wide range of delicious local, seasonal food. The Hairies cook roast partridge with a chestnut and apricot stuffing, fondant potatoes and pickled pears – inspired by a meeting in a car park with the Godfather himself, Antonio Carluccio. Then, back at the cottage, the boys turn the left-overs into a simple supper of delicious samosas for their loved ones.
Next they cook three of the world's best chickens, Poulets de Bresse, for four Newcastle call centre workers, rustling up chicken breasts with a citrus crust, and thighs stuffed with parsley, thyme and lemon. They then concoct a chicken noodle soup from the carcasses and drumsticks – nothing goes to waste. Then they head off to the Aquatic Centre, one of of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium sites, and cook a breakfast buffet of five jumbo pretzels for the builders, served with corned beef hash and poached eggs. Mother Goose is one of the classic Christmas pantomimes. Si and Dave go to the Chipping Norton Theatre to visit their flamboyant friend David Marcus, a famous pantomime dame from Barrow. He teaches the retiring duo the art of becoming perfect pantomime dames. In return, they cook him and his crew a classic roast goose Christmas dinner.
Next, the Hairy Bikers visit the Severn Swans brewery in Gloucestershire where they cook a goose risotto with green peppercorns washed down with the local beer. They visit the family-run Jess's Ladies Organic Dairy Farm in Gloucestershire with its herd of eighty cows, each individually named and lovingly looked after “because happy, healthy cows make better milk.” For eight milkmaids, the boys cook up a classic Christmas pudding with a twist – a rum and raisin Christmas panacotta. 'This will become a family favourite – light, sexy, spicy and modern – a little like ourselves!' Si and Dave visit The Lord of the Dance at the Sunderland Empire – still thrilling audiences around the world for more than a decade - and join the performers on stage. Their recipe is an Irish-inspired stew fortified with Christmas ale.
Finally they go to a manor house in the depths of the Scottish countryside where they are joined by bagpipers and drummers to cook 'flashmob style' for the team putting the final touches to the Christmas tree. The show culminates with a 'Perfect Day' style rendition of THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS performed by all the contributors the boys have met on their journey. Si says: “Our recipes are delicious alternatives to the Christmas norm. It is also very important, especially in this day and age, that nothing is wasted. We show three ways with chicken, how the leftovers can become a delicious stock which goes into a fantastic goose risotto – each recipe leads through to the next. It's been a real challenge putting the show together and Dave and I have enjoyed ourselves immensely.”
Dave concludes: “Our Christmas Special has something for everyone: entertainment, lunacy, pantomime dames, lords of the dance and really good recipes. Viewers can substitute ingredients, and by the end of the hour they will have a dozen useful recipes. It has certainly been one of the most enjoyable shows that Si and I have worked on!”
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