In the heart of the French countryside,
a magnificent chateau has been lovingly brought back
to life by an intrepid British couple...
Come on, Mrs.
...engineer Dick Straw bridge...
...and his wife, designer Angel.
This is the magic.
Over the past eight years,
over 50 beautiful spaces have been rebuilt, restored or reimagined.
Smile for Mummy. Smile.
The enormous leaking roof...
That's a bad sign.
Sunlight coming through the holes is not good.
...now safe for another 100 years.
The chateau's towering walls...
...almost restored to their former glory.
Honestly, I can't... Yeah, you're happy, that's good.
It's exactly right.
Service?
Their hard work not only helping create
a successful wedding and events business...
People are smiling and they're crying
and they're hugging and they're drinking bubbly
and you know what, this house was meant to do that.
...but also an extraordinary family home, bursting with love...
Up. Oh, oh... Oh!
...joy and laughter.
LAUGHTER
Now it's time for the final chapter in this French fairy tale,
one that is packed with new adventures...
What happens in workshop stays in the workshop.
...mysteries...
CHEERING
...plans...
High ceiling makes me want to have a swing.
...and problems.
Oh, no. Argh. LAUGHTER
But best of all, a happy ending.
WHOOPING, CHEERING
It's late summer at the chateau.
Arthur and Dorothy are still on holiday
and there are three important events to celebrate.
The first one,
inside the chateau's 2,000 square metre walled garden.
OK, pull me the edges out, please.
Edges out.
Planted eight years ago,
Dick and Angel's one and only peach tree is finally flourishing.
This is the first peach ever grown by a Straw bridge.
Really?
Yeah. What do you mean really?
My, my clad never grew them, we can't grow them in Northern Ireland.
Yes, you have to choose of our eight peaches,
the best one. You ready? One, two, three, go.
Mum touched my bum.
LAUGHTER
We're going to twist this off.
Wow, Mummy!
Have a look at that.
Oh, that is a fine peach, if ever I saw one.
Daddy chose a bad peach.
LAUGHTER
Do you know what? I thought it looked manky at the bottom.
Twist it off, Arthur.
Let's take a seat.
To help celebrate the peaches...
CORK POPS ..some non-alcoholic pop.
Woohoo!
Tastes so yummy.
Let's hear the story, when I was a young,
mY daddy, your grandpa,
do you know what he used to be able to do? What?
He used to be able to take an apple and cut it up
and all seven of us would get bits.
Ancl do you know what he would cut it with? A knife.
This knife. This knife.
So, Arthur's got Grandpa's knife and so
you're going to be cutting up the peach. Hold this for me. Yeah.
Pick a peach and pick it up. I'm picking my peach.
I'm picking one. And you hold it in your hand like this
and cut it in a whole circle all the way around.
Are you cutting?
Your grandpa would be very impressed with that, young man.
A little bit here.
Yeah. We're going to go there,
we're going to cut like this all the way around
and then we take out a slice like that, OK?
OK, so, yeah, like that, pass that to Mummy.
Cheers. Cheers.
The first peach.
Oh, my God, that's sour but really good.
What I'm going to do is I'm going to pop this in the drink,
I'm going to pop the next one in the drink.
That one's a good on, Mummy.
Yes, I'll take the same as Dorothy.
Right. To many, many decades of exotic fruits from
the garden. May you have...
Ancl you two, there's no reason why you shouldn't be doing this
in 50 years' time.
That's all right, isn't it, eh?
Dick and Angel may already be planning for future generations...
...but without the matchmaking skills of their close friend, Sophie,
Arthur and Dorothy wouldn't even exist...
How long have you known Soph?
12 years.
I've known her 20.
Oh, you completely beat me, but you are older than me.
LAUGHS
...because it was at one of Sophie's birthday parties
that Angel met her future husband.
Ah. There we go.
I went shopping
with Sophie down Brick Lane when we bought that dress.
Ancl on that night, Sophie introduced us on a personal level.
Very personal level.
It's James and Holly.
I've not seen that picture.
Acting as Dick's wing men at
the party were his eldest son and daughter-in-law.
You're looking very handsome.
Is it any wonder that you fell in love with me? I know.
So, to thank Sophie for everything that's happened since,
Dick and Angel are inviting her and her family and friends
to France, to celebrate her 50th birthday.
How many people?
Erm. 30-40.
You know there's a huge difference between 30 and 40.
We could get James to help, actually,
because he would love it anyway.
I thinkjames cooking is a no-brainer. Makes sense.
Right, I'll give him a call, he'll come.
That's no problem whatsoever. SHE LAUGHS
OK. The feel of it, tell me what,
tell me what your conversations with Sophie,
what's the feel of the evening.
Gokk, bf tog. Bung, bf tog, bf tog.
Bling-a-ding, cling. Because it's her 50th
and you know the golden anniversary,
she loved the idea of having gold in her party.
Right, this has been waiting for what? Two years.
She's not 50 any more.
That's the hilarious part. Sh.
Up on the fourth floor, in Angel's tresoire,
she has already decided
to personalise the birthday with a fabulous 50.
Stick it with glue to get me going.
Sophie is our clear, clear friend and we owe a lot to Sophie.
I mean, the kids actually say,
"Mummy, we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Sophie".
And 'R's true.
This party, this is going to feel personal, and you know what?
We'll only ever do one party like this in our lifetime.
The party that we do for Sophie will be totally,
totally and utterly unique to her.
This is one of those crafts that you just need a bit of time,
a little bit patience and anyone can do this.
But I quite like using sort of a little bit of a hardboard.
It means you can sort of pull the string nice and tight.
That is what makes it look sort of quite,
quite professional at the end.
Boy is it going to be a party.
I mean, we've not even started on the food and drink
because between Dick and James,
I know they're going to create a feast.
A few days later,
a professional chef arrives to help at the birthday party...
ANGEL LAUGHS
Hey. Hello.
...better known here at the chateau as Dick's eldest son, James.
Oh, hello, fella. Go Do die McDuff.
The big ones.
James was last at the chateau over three years ago
and rather a lot has changed.
Wow, it looks so much smarter.
James, it's so good to see you,
We were just sort of saying you haven't met Petal yet
and you haven't seen the chateau.
How was the journey?
It was good, the ferry was wavy.
LAUGHTER
Did you feel a bit seasick? That's a polite way of putting it, yeah.
For weddings and big events,
the cooking is normally Dick's domain.
But now that James is here...
Come on. ..he's happy to sit back and let his son do the talking.
Right.
That's my favourite bit coming in the walled garden,
seeing what's on offer.
Look at that sunshine coming through.
Herb garden's looking great as well.
The soft herbs have gone, obviously this time of year,
but we've got all the basics.
Yeah, well, it's classic, robust looking flavours as well.
We could build around rosemary, bay, sage and thyme.
What's the plan for Sophie's meal?
What, what sort of ingredients are we going to focus on?
Now I know Sophie loves lamb and beef,
but I know Will, her husband, doesn't like lamb,
so I think we'll go straight beef.
What do they call it the English in France?
Ros boeuf. Le ros boeuf.
The French have been calling
the British "les rosbifs" since the 18th century,
due to our love of roasting meat.
And it appears not much has changed.
I love the idea of, like,
you and the chateau is like a French-British fusion.
So maybe we do a beef bourguignon but with a British twist.
Like slow-cooked beef, feel good, and then a fancy bit of fillet steak just
because it's a special occasion.
OK. Coming along here, talking about roast beef.
Horseradish. Look. Nice. Is it going to have a good root on it?
It should do, shouldn't it?
Slow-cooking beef. Now in France,
bourguignon, you always go red wine direction. Yeah.
But we are British.
Yeah.
Steak and ale?
Yeah, but with a French, with onion...and
so it feels like a very French dish.
But what? Using a beer instead?
We've got local beers as well.
That would work. Um, desserts?
Angela's got something she wants to do for pudding.
She wants to have everybody celebrating their birthdays.
How many birthdays have we missed and we've just clone a sing-a-long on the telephone?
I saw you on your 60th, but what was that ten years ago?
LAUGHTER
No, all right. Something cakey. Something cakey.
Sharing, seasonal. Celebration. Celebration. That sounds nice.
Right, we need to collect some herbs. Yeah, and the horseradish.
You're going to get me to dig up the horseradish, aren't you?
I am. OK.
But it's not just the birthday that's keeping Dick and Angel busy...
...because the third event on the horizon is just as important to them...
...chateau helper Quentin's wedding.
And it's giving Angel the chance to solve a chromatic conundrum.
I have no idea what this is.
Right, 0|<. I know what we're going to do.
We're going to add colouring in
and then the some of your petals will hopefully change into that colour.
Oh, my gosh, that's so cool. It's in my science experiment book.
Yes!
To turn the petals a different colour,
all that's needed is a white or light-coloured flower,
food colouring and water.
The rest can be left to nature, and inquisitive children.
Dorothy's already choosing her colours.
The darker the pigment, obviously the better.
As well as entertaining the children,
Angel's main aim is to find out which colours work best,
and whether they're good enough for her bridal bouquets.
Take a little bit out, that's it.
Try not to get any on there, and just put it in, give it a stir,
and let's see.
Oh!
That is lovely, isn't it?
These are oxeye daisies,
these are daisies and these are gypsophila,
or it's called "baby's breath" actually.
Brides love it.
As it grows so well in calcium-rich soil,
"gypsophila" literally means "lover of chalk".
Today, though, Angel's hoping its tiny white petals will turn into
a kaleidoscope of colour, or thereabouts.
I can already see it coming on, look.
As it's drinking it, it's coming up the stems.
Oh, yeah.
Right, that corner.
When it comes to cooking, James might know his onions,
but Dick also knows how to grow them,
as well as the horseradish they need to dig up.
Right, the thing about horseradish, you can be quite savage
with it because whatever's left behind will sprout up again. Yeah.
Right, are you ready? Straight down, straight down,
all the way down, the full fork.
Give it a wiggle, more of a wiggle. Yeah, it's the full fork.
Like being taught how to dig.
Push it back. I'm 38 years old.
When I was 38, I was still serving in the army and I did as I was told.
Now wiggle, ease it up. I'm not in the army. Ease it up, ease it up.
It's going to snap off unless you do as I tell you.
Oh...
You know I'm right.
I can pull it up for you if you'd like me to help you. Oh, sh.
All the way down.
I AM going all the way down.
You have to go deep otherwise you're going to pull the caps off.
It won't break, it's a little baby fork.
I have got a smaller fork, if you want the smaller one. Sh.
The youth of today needs to be looked after. Shush.
I come from a different generation.
I dread to think what it's going to be like in the kitchen if this what it's like...
Oh, for... Leave it to Daddy.
Don't say leave it to Daddy, I was just...
If you hadn't interfered so much. I'm going to...
DICK LAUGHS Super annoying. Shush.
Right... No, put the fork... just shush.
I just want to pull horseradish out.
That was your grandpa's.
No, don't, don't... No, it wasn't.
Right, you pulled the top off.
LAUGHING: I told you you'd pull the top off.
Sh, I know where the root is and I'm going to pull it up.
No, it doesn't... Shush. It's just a bit of horseradish.
Right, would you like to listen to the older and wiser...?
No, I don't. Look. Give me the fork.
This is just so annoying.
I thought I'd come out here walled garden and pick some herbs.
It's so funny. Oh, bloody hell. I'm going to be sick.
Sh, sh.
Shush, Dad, shush, I can smell it.
I just think we could maybe lamb and mint sauce,
the mint's very easy. GUFFAWS
JAMES GRUNTS
JAMES PANTS
You really did make a mess of that.
Sh.
Come on, dog.
I thought you were talking to me there.
Come bye, James. LAUGHS
There's a good girl.
At the chateau, Dick and Angel are getting ready
to host two significant events -
Sophie's 50th birthday party and Quentin's wedding.
But before any food and flowers can be prepared,
Angel's scientific research team need to reconvene
and inspect their results.
Oh, my gosh, Dorothy, look at that one.
That's what I wanted that one to happen to.
Oh, wow.
This looks very natural because this one's orange
and it hasn't come out that much
but if you left it in there a couple more clays,
I think that would start to come.
Ancl do you know what? I think these ones have worked really well
and this is going to be our learning curve,
is that the jars are smaller,
therefore, the concentration was more intense
because there was less water, OK?
While Angel focuses on the flowers...
Look how beautiful that one is.
...Dick and James are just a couple of miles away,
hunting down fresh vegetables.
It's pretty good that you've got a market on your doorstep.
What are we actually after? Wow, cool.
Whatever we can find.
And all that's needed is a quick trip to
the local farmers' market and they can head home.
Where do you want to start? Down here?
Or at least as quick as it can be.
Shall we go get some?
She's doing it one at a time, it's a queue.
This has got a different pace of life.
When it's a such a little market like this,
you feel the stress that they may run out before we get to the end,
cos that's the last two squashes.
As the market is busier than expected,
Dick comes up with a battle plan.
Pardon!
Whenever it comes our turn, you start collecting tomatoes like
a thing out of fashion and one of these plastic pots, OK?
When Madame's finished, we can set that down there. Yeah.
Ancl then you're going to go and take those
and you're going to start collecting some stuff, right?
Anything you want. OK. OK.
Ready? Ready.
We're nearly there. Set it down there. Go.
Leave that, that's my job, that's my job, off you go.
Take that? Yes.
Bonjour, madame. Bonjour, madame.
Les carottes, s'il vous plait.
Comma ca.
Les oignons, s'ilvous plait.
Oui, c'est bon. OK.
Est le basille. Careful.
Un bouquet, s'ilvous plait. Parfait.
Courgette, couple of courgettes.
Put those in. This is now frantic.
Three. Hold that for a second. Get some tomatoes.
Be gentle with the tomatoes, be gentle with the tomatoes.
I am being gentle. Merci, madame.
Merd. Eon 'your. Merd beaucoup.
Bon 'your. Bon 'your.
It's heavy.
It's a lot of French vegetables.
In the walled garden's new cuisine d'ete,
the outdoor kitchen and dining area...
Oh, the magic. The magic.
...Angel, with chateau helpers Sasha and Quentin,
is currently playing table Tetris.
It's just that little bit too tight.
That is far too tight.
With the space just designed for the family to enjoy,
squeezing in 40 guests for a birthday party is proving a problem.
If we go diagonal, will it be the same?
I'm up for trying anything. Yeah. OK.
We've still got the same problem.
But in a different way. LAUGHS
Um...
I've got it, I've got it.
We have two tables of 15 and then we've got enough space,
and we have another two tables of four.
Let's get one of these tables in and over.
Yep, that one, lovely and then this one comes 'round.
Yep, it will be easier for us to do service, guys.
Come forward, come forward. Yep, stop. Perfect.
This is good, right.
We've got our plan. Well clone, everybody.
Groom-to-be Quentin's wedding, though,
will be much more straightforward,
as his reception's going be in the Orangery.
And, as well as hosting that, Dick, Angel,
Arthur and Dorothy are putting together for him
a collection of their favourite photos.
That would you be dancing there.
Yeah, that was on my birthday.
I think it came as a surprise to everybody how much Quentin danced.
ANGEL: Oh, he's an amazing dancer. Remember, you loved it.
ARTHUR: That's Quentin's be a my face, he has a be a my face.
I was there, I was there that.
There's Quentin... Quentin up a tree doing his pollarding.
I love that picture cos that is, you know,
that is what you've kind of made him into.
You know, he absolutely loves the garden now.
And it's not just pollarding that Dick and Angel have taught him.
Because in 2018,
when Quentin first arrived as the chateau,
his hospitality skills were exactly what Angel needed.
But as soon as the family took him under their wing,
he was receiving lessons in everything - from building...
The first time to screw it in, you make a little tap hole. Yeah.
A little starter hole and then you pull it out and goes in,
it pulls it in and you won't have that air gap.
...and beekeeping. What is that for?
The smoke is just to make the bees docile.
QUENTIN GRUNTS
...grunt work... DICK CHUCKLES
...and gardening.
That's one way to clear the floor.
And in exchange, Quentin helped Dick and Angel with both the language...
Autre cote.
...as well as local customs.
How many oysters do you eat over Christmas?
Oh, it would be like 10-20. Each?
You would eat ten? Yeah.
DOROTHY: Arthur, your eighth birthday.
Choose one photograph each that we like.
Is that the one you've chosen? Thank you.
ARTHUR: I've never seen him being sad. He's always happy.
SOBS LIGHTLY
You know, Arthur you just nailed it,
he comes into work with a smile on his face.
ARTHUR: Yeah. We're ready to put some on, Dudes.
I've got my eighth birthday one.
Amazing.
Oh, look. Actually, we only need one more.
That's lovely.
It's the day of Quentin's wedding
and Angel's in her atelier making for him
a beautiful bespoke button hole.
I'm using little embroidery snips
because when you're doing something like this,
you're essentially making a micro bouquet.
Ancl since Quentin's been here,
he got massively into the garden,
so I'm using the tops of, of lettuces that have got into seed
and I'm going to use some fennel seeds.
Quentin, he's amazing with the children
and he's, he's part of our family.
And even though it's an itsy-bitsy bouquet,
there's still room for
a teeny-weeny contribution from Arthur and Dorothy.
This is dyed gypsophila.
That is quite fun.
OK, there's one of these in them, don't want them too big.
Love these fennel seeds.
I want to get myself one wrap because then it's in place.
Then...|...can fiddle around with it.
No, I don't want anything else.
But, you know, you got to go through that process, haven't you?
Give myself a little loop at the bottom...
...and at the back and then take the long bit...
...work my way down.
Right, when I get to the bottom...
...then if I pull that through the loop,
I just pull that up, the knot kind of disappears.
It's really such a neat way to kind of just finish it off.
Right, lovely.
Oh, I hope he likes it.
12 miles away in the local town hall,
Angel finds Quentin waiting nervously in a side room.
Hello.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, Quentin.
Do you know what, I've put on a lot of buttonholes in my time, Quentin?
I know.
This is got to be just my favourite and my best and...
Stop it.
We are all set, thank you so much.
OK. Mwah, mwah. Thank you.
Right. What's the, what is left to do? Hold on.
Alexis is coming now.
Alexis is coming now, amazing.
With Thomas and Noel, I can't see him so I'm going to go.
You're going to go. Yes.
APPLAUSE
For more than 200 years,
the only legally binding wedding ceremony in France
has been a civil one.
And it's almost always conducted by the local mayor.
SPEAKS IN FENCH
Swapping earrings, though, is optional.
APPLAUSE
CHEERING, WHISTLING
Congratulations, it was so beautiful and you both are so beautiful.
And once everyone's back at the chateau,
the celebrations continue
and soon Quentin's wedding wagon is covered in good wishes.
"Have a..." "Have a..."
"..Great life."
But no wedding would be complete with a confetti moment.
Monsieurs et madams, maintenant, les maries.
CHEERING
For Dick and Angel, there's nothing more joyous...
Un grand photo.
...than helping a close friend celebrate a big occasion.
CHEERING
In the chateau, preparations for Sophie's 50th birthday party
this weekend are now gathering pace.
And so, it's time for Dick and James
to check in with their director of operations.
Arthur, mate, come on.
Yes. Important party.
Yeah. Why is Sophie important?
She's the one who brought you and Mum together.
Without Sophie, there's no Arthur or Dorothy.
Yeah. Wow. Yeah, yeah.
So idea's going to be goodies. What do you want to go for?
Well, I, like you most is like [ingot sticks. Lango sticks.
What's that then, what's a lingot?
It's my favourite cheese.
Lingot covered in breadcrumbs.
It's posh finger food, isn't it?
A canape, it's a canape.
A canape. Yeah. And I'm thinking, because I know you like chilli,
maybe your [ingot sticks,
we introduce some chilli sweetness, maybe a chilli honey or something.
Ooh, that could be a delicious sauce with it.
How about we make this?
You sit there and see if it's worthy of chateau feast.
Right? I'm going to start with flour this end.
OK. I like the idea that Daddy has to just sit
and watch you two.
By the way, this makes me very happy cooking with you two.
This is a new generation. Make room for improvement.
Get it completely covered in egg.
And once the cheese is coated in egg and breadcrumbs... One...
...they just need to be popped in the fryer.
...three, four.
In we go.
Right, timer's on.
Try this, Arthur.
Chilli honey, this one's got scotch bonnets in it.
Oh, scotch bonnets we know are hot.
Do you like it? Really spicy or nicely spicy?
That is delicious.
Hold on. Here we go. They're out.
Give me, give me a couple of... Oh, look at that.
Now for the best bit of creative cooking, the taste test.
Mm, mm.
You get this crunchy, sweet cheesiness. Mm.
We're doing paper, scissors, stone for the last one.
DICK AND JAMES: One, two, three.
Yeah. I'm having that one, right.
Well clone. Good idea, Arthur, I love it.
I have now declared our first canape is a...
Little lingot. Little lingot.
While Arthur's canapes will be served INSIDE the chateau...
...the birthday dinner itself will be in the walled garden.
And, as it backs on to a 350 square metre bamboo forest,
Angel has decided to decorate the tables with it.
MECHANICAL WHIRRING
To some that might just be an off cut of bamboo,
but to me, it's a beautiful napkin ring.
I've got some really nice bamboo fabric.
Um, and I thought, you know what,
how am I going to make them look really cool?
I thought little bamboo napkin rings.
It'd just be ideal because I could put them in,
sort of through, stitch their names on, which,
you know, we do for weddings, it's great because it looks quite fun.
Ancl also, it just means people know where they're sitting.
MECHANICAL WHIRRING
Fun and functional and attractive is always,
you know, where I'm trying to go,
but they're going to be that little touch that it's something home-made.
Ancl I mean, that, you know, you can't buy.
It's totally clone for Sophie's event and I think she'll like that
and it's all about just layering up things
to create that overall kind of, I guess, magic.
And as bamboo fibres are so dense
and the inside of the knots solid,
they also make excellent tea lights.
This little natural sort of notch that gives you like
a vessel, a cup, is quite handy,
because I'm going to make twinklies out of these.
You know, they just change the atmosphere.
It's all about, it's all about the lighting.
I can get a lot of these clone with not a lot of wax,
and I think they'll just tie everything nicely in together.
I'm quite excited about this.
And once Angel's melted some soy wax pellets,
it's just a matter of pouring it in...
Great.
...adding a wick and waiting for it to cool.
That's perfect.
Our wick is lovely and straight and in about five minutes,
it's actually going to look like a candle.
Great.
It's evening at the chateau,
and as far as James and Angel are concerned, it's time for cocktails.
Hello. Hey.
That is as soon as they've come up with one.
We want to create Sophie a beautiful cocktail that is one of a kind,
that's going to look good, taste good.
Definitely going to be one of a kind. And get everyone pickled.
Right. That's the checklist. Off you go.
So I know you love tea cocktails.
I do. It's where it all began when we met you.
So, rum with tea, it's got like a military thing, I think.
Little bit of Aperol...
Ape r0 I.
...dry vermouth, and pear juice.
Oh, that looks nice. It looks lovely.
Well, that's the first box ticked. It looks nice.
Yep. I think we should definitely get the taste first.
OK. BOTH: Cheers.
It's really hard this job. It is, isn't it?
I like it. Hasn't got the depth, I think, that...
It hasn't got bite, has it? It doesn't have, like, ohh?
It's nice. It's really nice, but damned by faint praise.
So that was number one.
I still like the idea of tea, but maybe a stronger rum.
OK, OK, stronger rum.
Ooh, darker. Here we go, good luck.
Mm, oh.
Ooh.
Oh, that's really nice.
There is a theme, obviously, to her birthday, being gold so.
What like an edible gold?
Yeah, yeah, like this. Wow.
I don't know what's going to happen though...
Oh, my gosh.
Oh. That's like something James Bond would drink.
That is actually how I wanted it to look.
It's fantastic.
Chateau Magic right there.
I've never, ever been served something like that in my life.
Ancl I've drank a lot of...cocktails.
THEY LAUGH
I've had a lot of cocktails.
It's, without a doubt, my new favourite cocktail.
Cocktail development it's quite a dangerous hobby, isn't it?
Cheers. Cheers.
Do we actually know what went into that cocktail?
SHE LAUGHS
The weekend of the birthday celebrations has arrived.
And as it's a big one, albeit two years late,
Dick and James are preparing an al fresco feast for 40 guests.
So. Menu. We got canapes.
We've got starters on the table, clone.
Pickle plate, charcuterie plate and crudo.
We've got the fish course soup, course is the main thing.
Yep, chowder with lots of grilled scallops and crispy leeks.
Chef's perk. That's a huge chef's perk.
That is pretty good. I'll have one. Cheers.
Mm, mm, mm.
They really are the sea.
Coronation crab. Mwah!
I love working with you.
That looks good, doesn't it?
Let's try this.
Bit of chive and shallot in here as well, and then the fruit.
Yummy. Good, isn't it? Well clone, that's perfect.
The birthday dinner will take place inside the walled garden,
that is as soon as Angel and Dorothy have turned
the outdoor dining area into a party pergola.
Right.
If I do the top one and you do the bottom one.
Yeah. Twist it, twist it.
Yeah. All clone now.
That looks cool, doesn't it? Yeah.
Come on, let me show you what we're going to do, then.
As they're overlooking the garden,
Angel's going to decorate the tables with home-grown eucalyptus...
Right, I'm going to get started.
...sprayed gold, of course.
Gold and green go so well together.
They completely do.
You don't realise how proud I am at this moment.
Closer, closer.
Don't move around as much, be a bit more selective.
Mum, I know. ANGEL CHUCKLES
You'll see what I do in a sec.
I'll tell you what, I'm leaving you to it.
Call me when you need me, give me a kiss.
Don't think I'll need you but...
Oh, I love it.
Right, Dodes, you start putting your, these things up on the table.
Oh, that's perfect.
They can go down, down there, darling.
Oh, my gosh. This party is going to be screaming gold.
It's also time to break out the bamboo napkins.
This is Sophie. That means we have to make it the best.
Oh, I completely agree.
You get a corner. Yeah. And we sort of thread it through.
Yeah. And pull.
There you go. Thank you very much.
OK. I'm ready for the next one.
But for Dorothy, it's Angel's bamboo candlesticks that steal the show.
I'd like you to start laying some of these on the table as well.
Are these home-made? Yeah.
I still want to spray paint it a bit gold, that would be so cool.
You so do, don't you? Go on, then, off you go, do it.
You can never have too much gold.
With an evening ahead of fine food, cocktails and champagne,
it's not long before Dick and Angel hear their guests are on their way.
KLAXON BEEPS
And leading the charge is the birthday girl herself.
Oh.
Thanks for bringing the sunshine.
Oh, hello.
LAUGHTER, INDISTINCT
And now that Sophie and her family have arrived...
This my little boy.
...her friends are following.
And with everyone now allowed to be together...
Come on, beautiful. Every time I see...
...it's time to start celebrating.
So good to see you.
As the evening draws near, Angel ensures that
the birthday party is as golden as it can be.
I wonder if Sophie remembers,
because every tea party I ever did,
I used to give, like, the bride or the hen or whoever
the special person was, they always got a gold cup.
So today, Sophie has got the gold cup.
Oh, little Dorothy. I loved it.
She was just like, "Oh, Mum, I'm inspired".
She just took the bamboo candles and then sprayed it.
I honestly had such a proud mummy moment.
And, you know, what I'm noticing in both Arthur
and Dorothy is that they just want to do stuff independently.
You know, they're growing up.
And exactly why Dick and Angel always go out of their way
to celebrate birthdays.
Whether it's five or 50,
Dick and Angel wouldn't miss them for the world.
I'm really chuffed with it.
Tonight, the chateau is hosting a 50th birthday party for Sophie,
one of Dick and Angel's closest friends.
And not only are the dinner preparations still on schedule,
but Dick and his eldest son, James, are working in perfect harmony.
I'm going to start searing the beef. Yeah.
Right all tidied up, what next?
Herb butter, you're doing the fillet steak.
That works for me. I'll do the squash fondant?
Yeah, great. OK.
In the boot room, Angel has gathered her team together to show them how
to mix the Chateau Shimmer.
I guess my USP is that you, want to have something tasty,
something that looks attractive
and something that gets you pickled.
LAUGHTER
So, this is one of one rum, OK, one of Aperol, OK,
and one of a dry vermouth.
OK, so one, one, one.
Then we're going to just have a nice a bit of pear,
there we go, just sprinkled around.
And to add a bit of golden glamour,
the gold leaf...
just like about that much...
Oh. OK.
...to make the drink really dazzle.
Look at that.
Oh, that is so cool.
It's the orange peel. ANGEL: Yeah, it gives you that...
I need to try it again. LAUGHTER
And now the important instructions have all been given...
...the belated birthday party can finally begin.
DOG BARKS
Hi, everyone, welcome.
INDISTINCT CHATTER
If you take one and you swirl it around, you will see...
Oh, it's gold.
...you will see the gold.
Oh, my God, it smells delicious.
That is my favourite cocktail.
In the kitchen,
all Arthur's little [ingot canapes now need is a touch of spice.
Right, chef, I need some of your honey chilli on those.
Oh, we're getting to that point.
A drop in the middle of each one, on the middle of each one.
James' coronation crab, though,
is taking the gold theme to new heights.
You have gone inner bling, haven't you?
Inner, inner.
There's nothing inner about that dish. Well clone.
ARTHUR: Service.
You're service, mate, don't shout service, take it away.
Take it away, chef. Don't drop any on the way.
Don't you just love the shout of "service"?
And upstairs, Arthur soon discovers that it's not just the canapes
and cocktails that shine...
This is delicious.
...but also matching wardrobes.
Over in the walled garden,
James and Dick are preparing the first course
of chargrilled vegetables and sliced meats.
JAMES: Oh, last of the summer veg.
Poisson crudo avec d'orange.
Fenouil.
Et aussi un citron oil.
Who are you kidding?
I'm making it up as we go along. Right.
CHEERING
...Sophie, come on, let's take you.
And now the food's ready to be served,
the champagne's on ice and the candles are lit,
even the weather can't put a dampener on the celebrations.
This looks incredible, look at it.
Not bad, is it?
The theme may gold, but it's the warmth of Dick
and Angel's love for their friend that shines the brightest.
Ladies and gentlemen... CHEERING
...it's our pleasure to be cooking for you this evening,
looking after you, yes, but I think it's very fair
to say that you're very important to us, kid.
You know it. Ancl have a little look up here.
They wouldn't exist.
CHEERING
APPLAUSE
This bugger would. LAUGHTER
It's been a Straw bridge-men-in-the-kitchen act.
We've got a new chef in the kitchen.
CHEERING
Who will be making sure the quality is right.
To the Straw bridge boys,
cos it's a pleasure having them all in the kitchen together...
CHEERING ..it doesn't happen very often.
Listen, have a ball.
For the rest of the evening, the wine flows,
and course after course of delicious food is served.
And to Dick's delight, everyone's not only having a lot of fun...
Well, people are happy. Oh, look at that, woo.
...but the Straw bridge boys are still working well together,
with nine-year-old Arthur in charge of the main course.
You're cooking the beef,
this is the most important part of the meal, mate.
This is fillet of steak. That's all yours.
Oh, well done, Arthur.
Turn it over, turn it over. That's perfect.
How did your beef turn out? You happy?
Yeah. Oh, fantastic.
But a birthday isn't a birthday without cake,
and as it's Sophie's big Five 0,
gold is the colour of choice.
Though how much is a matter of opinion.
There's too much on there.
I know it's too much.
It's all too much.
There's gold everywhere.
Gold, gold and more gold.
And as soon as James has added some extra birthday bling,
it's time for a final thank you.
Now, Sophie is such a giving person. She gave me Dick.
LAUGHTER, WHOOPING
And we thought, we thought,
what type of birthday cake would Sophie want?
A big birthday cake. 50 candles?
Ancl we thought, no, that isn't Sophie.
Sophie would want to share her birthday and her birthday wish.
So, you all have a beautiful cake.
So, if you would please take the matches, light a candle.
And if we could all have a happy birthday to everybody.
Happy birthday to Sophie.
Ancl for everyone to make a birthday wish.
CHEERING
Everybody got one?
ALL SING: # Happy birthday to you
# Happy birthday to you... #
DICK: All of you.
# Happy birthday, clear Sophie
# Happy birthday to you. #
CHEERING
DETECTOR BLEAPS Next time...
Something there definitely.
...treasure hunts...
Here we go. Right, we're going in.
...fun and games...
Oh, my gosh.
Toot, Toot. LAUGHTER
Oh, yes.
...and driving lessons.
Right, Dorothy, go.
ENGINE STUTTERS
ENGINE IGNITES
Subtitles by Red Bee Media