BBC Two Northern Ireland

The Incredible Spice Men

Tony Singh

Cyrus Todiwala

Caroline Ross Pirie

Jessica Jones

Nicola Gooch

The Incredible Spice Men: Episode 4: West Suffolk

Factual: Food & Drink

West Suffolk

Episode 4

Episode 4: West Suffolk

BBC Two - The Incredible Spice Men, West Suffolk

Tony and Cyrus visit Melford Hall in Suffolk and try to impress the Women's Institue.

Cookery series with Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala. Tony and Cyrus sample the best west Suffolk has to offer as they spice up an array of local produce and delicacies.

Chefs Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala want to transform the way British dishes are cooked at home. The two old friends believe Britain has some of the best produce in the world but think we are missing a trick when it comes to cooking with spices.

In the fields of west Suffolk Cyrus and Tony extoll the virtues of rapeseed oil. They then use it to cook cinnamon, ginger and red chilli chicken wings.

At the beautiful stately home Melford Hall in Long Melford, Tony and Cyrus persuade the National Trust to allow them to spice up their traditional afternoon tea. The Trust provides the basic ingredients for cucumber sandwiches and victoria sponge, which Tony and Cyrus transform, adding a salt and chilli blend to the cucumbers and a delicious fennel and orange butter cream to the victoria sponge. Forty sceptical members of the local Women's Institute turn up for tea.   

The green fields of west Suffolk are dotted with ruby-coloured cows, the traditional Suffolk breed the red poll. Tony and Cyrus meet Denise Thomas from Lavenham Brook Farm, who tends a herd of red polls, and learn that the slow-growing grass-fed herd produce wonderful meat and milk.

Next an exercise in painting with spices. Cyrus uses a colourful array of ground spices to cook a fantastically tasty, easy peasy splendidly spicy beef burger with chilli, cumin and coriander. Not to be left out, Tony who, as a Sikh, does not eat beef, tucks into a spicy cumin and chilli chip butty.

The annual Hadleigh agricultural show in Suffolk draws farmers and producers from across the county. They come to show off their produce, play on the fun fair and enjoy traditional strawberries and cream. Tony and Cyrus want to show how spices can enhance fruit so they take over the strawberry stall, add black pepper and cinnamon to the fruit and offer it to a surprised but appreciative public.

Finally, they cook a clever twist on a British classic, a mouth-watering apple crumble with star anise.

Throughout their journey Tony and Cyrus give practical information on how to buy, store and use spices to get us all eagerly cooking with spices at home.

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Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala want to transform the way British dishes are cooked at home.

Award-winning chefs and old friends Tony Singh and Cyrus Todiwala want to transform the way people cook British dishes at home.

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