Jamie kicks off his road-trip close to home in London's East End, uncovering his family's roots in the area and tasting classic pie and mash and modern Vietnamese street food. Jamie meets a chef turning humble burgers into gourmet cuisine before he heads for his home territory, Southend-on-Sea and the Essex coast, in his mobile kitchen/pub. Jamie collects winkles and has a barbecue with his mum, dad and nan. He also cooks up four delicious British recipes, including a delicious beef and ale pie dedicated to Kate and Will's wedding, Leigh-on-Sea sole cooked with shellfish and brown shrimps, fresh oysters four ways, and baked sea bass in a bag.
Jamie travels to Yorkshire to sample Yorkshire puddings and ale, Jewish chicken soup, Persian delicacies, Chinese cuisine, and Eccles cakes. Jamie uncovers how the Industrial Revolution, and the need for immigrant workers, changed everything from the people on our streets to the food on our plates. He starts his trip at the Kings Arms pub in the village of Heath where huge Yorkshire puddings are washed down with pints of ale. In Leeds, home to the third-largest Jewish community in Britain, Jamie samples smoked fish and meets a group of young brewers who are making incredible pub recipes with their beers. He visits Iranian chef Morteza Keshtkar-Bazheri and joins Chiu Lueng at the Chinese Community centre as he helps dish up lunch to 40 guests. Jamie cooks Persian-inspired lamb shanks with British ale, and celeriac and potato mash, Pimm's stewed rhubarb and rice pudding, baby Yorkshire puddings with Jewish smoked trout and horseradish pate, and weekend Eccles cakes.
Jamie travels over the Severn Bridge to South Wales where he learns the impact the Welsh coal boom of the late nineteenth century has had on the nation's food culture to this day. Italians flocked to the South Wales coalfields to work before setting up their own food and drink businesses. Jamie tucks into classic Italian home cooking with Sandra and Franco Tambini, plus family and friends, including porcini sauce made from local mushrooms and anolini cooked in broth. And he samples the huge range of flavours at Verdi's ice cream parlour on the Gower coast. In Tiger Bay, a diverse area where Shirley Bassey grew up, Jamie visits a local mosque and community centre and tries Yemeni food with Samira Shaddad, including delicious spice-rubbed leg of lamb, pancakes and spicy side dips. Inspired by his experiences, Jamie cooks an amazing 12-hour rabbit Bolognese, a Dragon arctic roll with Italian ice cream and some retro treats and Yemeni-inspired lamb lollipops with sweet little dips and toasted crunchy nuts. And after going lobster fishing, Jamie prepares a local 'surf and turf' BBQ with lobster, butterflied leg of lamb, plus delicious marinades and salads.
Jamie visits Leicester, where he discovers the impact the British Empire and our love of spice have had on Britain's food culture. He meets Gujurati chef Amita Mashru, who has transformed a pub into one of the city's most popular curry houses. In Evesham Jamie meets Billy Byrd, whose family has been growing asparagus for generations, and explores edible flowers with Margaret Cooper. Jamie discovers the secrets of traditional pork pies with Melton Mowbray butchers Scott and Alan Bailey, before visiting the Lee & Perrins factory. Finally, Jamie takes part in a local cricket match and lays on a proper Empire-themed afternoon tea spread. Inspired by his encounters, Jamie cooks the ultimate Empire roast chicken with Bombay roasties and amazing Indian gravy, the best piccalilli, asparagus three ways, and a sour cranberry bakewell with incredible orange and lemon sherbet drizzle sauce.
Jamie's trip around Britain takes him to the West Country - famous for its pasties, cheddar and cider. But Jamie's in search of less traditional fare too, and tastes some traditional Jamaican cooking with chef Neufville at his restaurant in Bristol's St Pauls. He also joins Jules Davis from a local radio station to try her mum's Guyanese specialities. Jamie forages for wild mushrooms with local chef Toby Gritten, cooks up a centuries-old recipe of bath chaps (pigs' cheeks), and tries some local scrumpy with the Wilkins family at their apple farm in Somerset. He ends his visit with a fantastic outdoor feast. Jamie cooks some fantastic new classic British recipes, including jerk-dressed Bristol pork, with crunchy crackling and orchard apple sauce, alternative allotment pasties, and an apple pepperpot pudding using a combination of Caribbean spices.
Jamie Oliver concludes his journey around Britain in the west of Scotland, where he discovers a food culture just as distinctive as the rugged landscape. Jamie finds how haggis, a Viking invention, is being given a West Indian twist in Glasgow's oldest Scottish restaurant. He joins fisherman Hector Stewart to go scallop diving in the River Clyde and cooks up seared scallops with crispy black pudding and creamy clapshot. In Striven, Jamie unlocks the secret of the Arbroath smokie and harvests rope-grown mussels, before using both products to create a Scottish version of a French classic - MacMoule mariniere. Jamie discovers how to cook the indestructible dried fruit dessert - the clootie dumpling, helps out on a pheasant shoot, and brings his adventure to a close with an ambitious feast combining the best of local game with an Italian recipe - mouth-watering seared venison loin with Scottish risotto and golden pheasant hash.
