Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas

-

Mary

I'm at Tolhurst Organic farm to persuade a very special and funny friend of mine to eat his festive veg. -

Rylan

Just here, yeah? -

Driver

Yeah. (murmurs) Oh! Mate, can we not... No? -

Mary

Presenter Rylan's a self-confessed fussy eater, and there's one Christmas staple he refuses to have on his plate. Brussels sprouts. In the U.K., we eat more Brussels sprouts than any other country in Europe, consuming over 700 million of them at Christmas. I just need to persuade Rylan to eat one, and we're starting off with picking them. -

Rylan

I don't even know what half of this is! -

Mary

Well, those are cauliflower, and in the distance, sprouts! That's how they look? They look like little palm trees. -

Mary

You'll like them! -

Rylan

All right, come on, then. Let's do this. I'm going on the hunt, as you would agree. - Careful as you go. (jazzy, festive music) I mean, they're all lovely, but I've gotta get the best for Mary Berry, haven't I? Absolutely! There's a wonderful one here, a really big one. So why have you sent me all the way in here? Because I want it all checking out. (Rylan laughs) Take all the leaves off. That's snapping them off at the end. No, no, not the tops! Press them down! Press them down? - Right. That's it. Is that right? (sprout stem snaps) Right. Should I just cut it? Get your legs out of the way, that's it, and then saw at the bottom. (lively, festive music) Well done! That's brilliant. I feel like I've won a prize! You have won a prize! Mary, that's the most work I've done in about 10 years. That's called manual labor. (Rylan laughs) -

Rylan

I think we've done well there! -

Mary

I think we might need a few more. That's it! You've got the hang of it now. (Rylan grunts) Perfect. (Rylan grunts) Done! Splendid! Well done! We're away! We're away! I'd better like these. -

Mary

I've got faith my Brussels sprouts, cooked with shallots, cashew nuts, and peas, will convert him from a loather to a lover. This is a nice little setup you've got going on! I'll take them off you. - Right! Lovely. -

Rylan

So what are we doing, Mary? Shall I just pick these off? - You're going to pick those off, so sort of hold it up and pull it down. And now you've got the hang of it, you can't stop, can you? I'll have my own farm within a week. -

Mary

That's a good start! Yeah? Right. Now I'm going to prepare them. Simply trim off the ends and remove the outer leaves. You just cut them in half. And you see the structure of them. They're so neat and beautiful. And as you can imagine, because we've split that, it will cook in half the time. -

Rylan

Of course. So, who's cooking on Christmas Day in your house? It is my job. Christmas Day and Boxing Day, I like to do. So I'll do the turkey, the potatoes. I'll be honest, I don't normally do Brussels sprouts, so... That's what I'm here for. Overcooking can make them mushy and bitter, so boil for about three minutes, and add frozen peas in at the end. Peas and sprouts go well together. Do they work well? Are they friends? I think best friends! (Rylan chuckles) Right, let's drain these off, shall we? -

Mary

Now, to make these sprouts really irresistible. First, some shallots fried in butter. That wants to just go until they're beautifully tender. So, I mean, you're very good when it comes down to preparation. All of this, you would do on the day, wouldn't you, frying off? Frying off, yes. I would have prepared the shallots and halved the sprouts. Yeah. So that was all ready to go- All ready, yeah. - And then, just on the day, chuck it all in. And also, I'd do myself a timetable. -

Rylan

Well, you're so organized, Mary Berry! You're going to be, 'cause you're the cook. (Rylan laughs) Do you know what it reminds me of? It reminds me of being at the fair as a kid, that smell, with the hot dogs. You like going to the fair, do you? Do you wanna go to the fair? - I'm free. I'm free. All right, let's go! - Right, come on. That's absolutely perfect. For some crunch, I'm adding a third of a cup of cashew nuts. They can be salted or unsalted, just whichever you like. Doesn't matter. Just turn them round so they're hot. I know you're looking forward to getting me to try this, but I have to say my favorite thing on my Christmas dinner is the stuffing. That is always my go-to. What's yours? I've got two favorites. One is the dark meat on the turkey, and the trifle. That one? Oh, see, I knew you'd get along with my mum. That's her favorite. - Well, there we are. Finally, add in the cooked sprouts and peas. Look at that! - Oh, look at them! Look at that color! A little pepper and salt. Now, straight into the dish, it's ready. - Should we? -

Mary

Yes! -

Rylan

I mean, the proof's gonna be in the taste, isn't it? -

Mary

Come on! -

Rylan

Let's see if you've done it, Mary, if you've got it done. - A little bit of everything. No avoiding the sprout. I'm ready. (gentle piano music) Be truthful. I will. Behave. I'm so annoyed. You've made me like Brussels sprouts, haven't you? Well, I'm chuffed to bits about that. (Rylan giggles) I can't believe you've done it!