A roving kitchen

telly talk

Whether it is a golden loaf of bread baked to perfection, rich in aroma and lush with texture, or a flurry of festive goodies whipped up in a cloud of flour and sugar, the Herbert brothers weave magic with their culinary skills. It could be a batch of sticky toffee pudding that they rustle up or a platter of delicious salmon fresh from the Severn river that they pop on a grill, or a fire pit-roasted boar  — the possibilities of dishes are endless when the adventurous chefs Tom Herbert and Henry Herbert get to work.

The duo’s TV series, The Fabulous Baker Brothers: A Bite of Britain, takes us on an unexplored culinary road trip across Britain. In it, baker Tom Herbert and Henry, a chef and butcher, dispel the myth that British food isn’t the best in Europe. In a van armed with a kitchen, the brothers crisscross the country to source and cook up the finest food, which includes outdoor cooking — in fire pits, on BBQs and camping stoves.

All this is set against a stunning, quintessentially English backdrop — like the charming Lake District and the picturesque Rye coast in East Sussex. The two chefs believe that it is the diversity of the country that makes British cooking special. “Because we are an island, we have great seafood, fish, livestock. Here, we’re into exploring the world, bringing back the best and then mixing all the ideas together. Like curry, for instance, is not from Britain, but it’s still a part of our culture,” explains Tom.

Herberts’s ways
The show’s format sounds fairly simple. The Herberts, who have five generations of baking tradition behind them, will unearth the culinary gems of each place they visit. They will use raw ingredients fresh from the ground, river or sea, and turn them into mouth-watering dishes in the outdoors. Along the way, they will meet the locals whose produce is iconic to that destination. And at the end of the show, the locals will be invited to join them for a feast and asked to vote for the best dish.

An exclusive interview with the Baker brothers is enough evidence of their passion for food.

When asked about the show’s shooting, Henry says that they begin by listing the places that they intend to visit. “We picked Rye in East Sussex because it ticked lots of boxes — it’s beautiful, it’s British, and there are stories around it. And then, we looked at who we knew. We sent out tweets asking what was happening in Rye, who was willing to meet us and what we should search for,” he adds. Next is research, and Tom explains the procedure, “We read books and talk to people. It’s always a bit planned out. When we get to a location, we chat up with people in the hotel and ask them their food sources — like from where they get their fish. We’re in each location for a week.” 

The celebrity chefs will roll up their sleeves in this show to try their hand at farming, fishing and foraging before creating unique dishes inspired by each region’s fantastic ingredients.

But when it comes to picking their favourites, the brothers are unable to narrow down their choices because they are always cooking new dishes. “Probably the dish that reminds me of my mother the most is Brisket, and it is one of my favourites. It is cooked in the oven with wine, seasoning and stuff. We also like a good Indian curry,” answers Henry.

Recalling their culinary journey’s beginning, Henry says, “Our family business was a bakery. There was also a butchery downstairs, so we had great meat and great bread. My mum cooked from scratch, so we ate delicious food and watched her cooking and baking. All our parents’ friends are in the food business, so we grew up around food.”
While most chefs agree that cooking is an art that has to be mastered, the Baker brothers believe that cooking should also be intuitive. “Recipes are good, but should not be followed to a tee. An intuition to imagine a dish with different ingredients is important,” says Henry, adding, “Your oven might be different, your ingredients might be difficult. It’s about just giving it a go — cooking is not an art, it’s a process. By cooking for other people you can make it more enjoyable.”

Tom has his own definition of a cook. “The best cooks are the people who love food. Enthusiasm breeds a good cook.”

The Fabulous Baker Brothers: A Bite of Britain airs on Monday and Tuesday at 9 pm, on TLC.