Rick Stein's Cornwall

In this episode, Rick takes us to the place where his passion for Cornwall began – his family home at Trevose Head on the north Cornish coast, where as a child he would go fishing with his father. He explores the wild yet beautiful landscape of the Land’s End peninsula with the artist Kurt Jackson before heading to the tranquillity of an heritage apple orchard preserved by head gardener John Harris. Here Rick picks some apples to make his mother’s Apple Charlotte pudding.

Deep in the Cornish countryside, Rick Stein takes us to meet an extraordinary family who are making some of the best Gouda cheese in Britain, from which he cooks a tortilla dish with caramelised apples, onions and Cornish Gouda. In the fishing village of Mevagissey, he discovers the origins of the sea shanty and the history of the pilchard fishing industry, when shoals of pilchards were so large they would attract killer whales.

Rick Stein meets young chef Tom Adams, who runs Combeshead Farm, a leading field-to-fork restaurant in Cornwall. Here they grow and produce all of their own food, from sourdough bread to pork pies, as well as rearing a small heard of Mangalitsa pigs, a hairy, old-world breed which produces exquisite hams. Rick tries out a new recipe – pork chops with a sloe berry sauce – before moving on to the village of Rock, where his son Jack holds a clam bake on the shore of the Camel Estuary.

The town of Launceston in east Cornwall is bypassed by many who visit the county, yet Rick discovers that it’s home to an unusual superstition and a rare type of Norman castle. In the far west of Cornwall, Rick meets Graham Fitkin and Ruth Wall, two musicians who combine modern and traditional ways to make some extraordinary compositions. Rick rounds off his trip by cooking an alfresco dish of Cornish mussels with cider.

Rick Stein meets his good friend, the actor and comedian Barry Humphries, who fell in love with Cornwall in the 1960s when he escaped London to develop his now famous character, Dame Edna Everage, with near-disastrous consequences. Barry talks about his friendship with Britain’s favourite poet, John Betjeman, and asks Rick to review his homemade fishcakes. Rick also goes fishing for crab, before cooking a simple yet delicious crab omelette. And he takes a dip in the chilly north Atlantic with an eccentric group of wild water swimmers called the Perranporth Blue Tits.

Rick journeys inland from the majestic Camel Estuary to one of Britain’s finest vineyards, where he joins in harvesting the grapes to discover that the Cornish weather is perfect for making some of the best wine in the country. Just off Pentire Point, as the sun sets, Rick rides the gentle swell of the North Atlantic with an old friend, casting his line to hook Britain’s fastest fish, before firing up the barbecue to cook his catch with a recipe inspired by a trip to Goa. Rick joins Tim Smit, best known for starting the hugely successful Eden Project, who reveals to Rick his new and ambitious idea in Cornwall.

Rick Stein takes a trip back in time to his early days running a nightclub in Padstow before a bracing dip in Bude's stunning sea pool. Then Rick braves the notoriously wild Atlantic waters to learn about the ancient fishing method of handlining at Sennen Cove off Land's End. The catch of the day is some deliciously plump pollock, which Rick uses to make the ultimate fish pie for the head gardener of Tresillian House, John Harris.

Rick Stein travels to St Ives to meet one of Britain's little-known artists, Alfred Wallis. In the shadow of Bodmin Moor Rick visits a very rare collection of medieval stained-glass windows in the church of St Neot. It is here he ticks off an item on his bucket list by taking part in a rather unusual celebration called Oak Apple Day, marking the occasion when Charles II became king.

Rick meets "Springwatch" presenter and biologist Gillian Burke, who takes Rick on a walk through a rare habitat called an Atlantic temperate rainforest on the banks of the Helford River. Rick also follows his passion for cured meats when he discovers a husband-and-wife team making premium Cornish salami.

Cornwall has more than its fair share of folktales. Perhaps the most famous is found near Land's End, where Rick recounts the tale of the Mermaid of Zennor. A short distance away, Rick joins a small army of seaweed harvesters who are feeding an increasing appetite for a natural food more common in Japan.

Following in the footsteps of one of his literary heroes, Rick roams the dramatic north Cornish coast to tell the story of one of Britain's best-loved writers, Thomas Hardy, and his little-known love affair with a Cornishwoman. Another famous writer, Dylan Thomas, dubbed Rick's next stop, Mousehole, as "the loveliest village in Britain".

Cornish king crab is on the menu for Rick as he heads out of Newquay to catch and cook this tasty crustacean. Afterwards, he takes a trip inland to Bodmin Moor to meet Robin Hanbury Tenison, one of the 20th century’s last great explorers. His farm is home to one of Cornwall’s most ambitious rewilding projects, where Robin’s son, Merlin, has recently introduced a pair of wild beavers who are doing their best to restore biodiversity in this corner of Cornwall.

Rick forages for mussels in his favourite rock pools, tours Bodmin Moor’s dark past with his son Jack and cooks a foolproof souffle with artisanal Cornish goat’s cheese.

Rick makes heritage cider with Raynor Winn, author of The Salt Path. Later, he cooks a chicken, leek and cider gratin for his old friend John Harris and meets a sea shanty group with a difference.

Rick discovers Europe’s largest tea plantation on the banks of the River Fal, bakes a simple yet sumptuous fruited tea loaf and finds out how Cornwall inspired Charles Dickens.

After soaking up the ambience at one of the UK’s last live cattle markets, Rick’s in the mood for steak and kidney pudding before setting sail out of Falmouth in a handbuilt boat.

Rick goes fishing under sail for his favourite oysters, makes a delicious fish soup and discovers the all-but-forgotten story of Cornwall’s ancient capital, Lostwithiel

Rick visits an organic deer farm near Bodmin Moor, makes a stunning venison wellington, and over a pint with comedian Jonny Cowling, defines the Cornish sense of humour.