Stuffing with Jack Rooke

In the final episode of the first series of One Dish, comedian and writer Jack Rooke brings a lovely little ramekin of one of his favourite foods: stuffing. Intended to keep meat moist, and to eke out expensive cuts so they go further, they’re now an indispensable component of a special occasion meal for many people - including Jack. He shares some of his favourite stuffing memories, and admits that when it comes to the preparation he’s very much a sous chef and it’s his mum who’s in charge in the kitchen. Andi and Jack learn about the long and varied history of stuffing in Britain; it’s had many guises over the years, from pudding to forcemeat to the ‘just add water’ type out of a box. They find out how the popularity of sage and onion is connected to commercial chicken farming, and Jack persuades Andi to cook one of the more outlandish historical stuffing recipes she’s discovered (although not quite as outlandish as stuffed porpoise). And Kimberley Wilson has some fascinating intel on the delicate art of cooking different cuts of meat and the scientific reason why it sometimes goes dry and tough. Food Scientist: Kimberley Wilson Food Historian: Neil Buttery Producer: Lucy Dearlove Exec Producer: Hannah Marshall Sound Design: Charlie Brandon-King Assistant Producer: Bukky Fadipe Commissioning producer: Lynda Davies A Storyglass production for BBC Radio 4