So, what are we gonna taste?
Well, we're gonna try some local delicacy.
Yes.
It's fermented shark.
Fermented shark?
You had that before?
That's an acquired taste.
BERNA You don't know how to do it,
so he'll do it for you, so.
You have to show you're an Icelander
and a real man, he says.
He also has something to help you wash it down.
Brennivín, burning wine.
And You swig it down with this?
So you put this and then swallow it.
So in and swallow?
Cheers.
Skál, we say, skál.
Skál, thank you.
Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Be strong.
GORDON I'm just south of the Arctic Circle in Iceland.
Here, vast glaciers sit on top of some of the world's most active volcanoes,
causing spouting geysers, thermal springs and frequent earthquakes.
Now, I first came to this land of fire and ice over a decade ago
and it's got some of the best seafood anywhere in the world.
But what I've never done is had a chance to discover the hidden corners of Iceland
and get up to speed with their culinary secrets.
I'm here in the middle of summer, when there's 24 hours of daylight,
but still snow on the mountains.
To start my adventure, I'm on my way to meet Chef Ragnar Eiriksson
at a local foraging spot,
but he's warned me, it's not an easy drive.
I mean, talk about rough terrain.
Look at this.
Bloody hell, I think my teeth have fallen out.
Ragnar! Ra.
Are you.
Hey!
GORDON Are you kidding me?
Come over! Get in!
GORDON What are you doing?
Really? He said meet me by the water, not in it.
I knew Ragnar had a lot to show me,
but I wasn't expecting to see all that.
What a journey!
You good?
RAGNAR Yes, thank you, sir.
GORDON Absolute pleasure.
Nice to meet you.
GORDON Jeez, that's hot! Seriously?
Join. Join you?
Yeah, there's plenty of room.
GORDON Bloody hell.
Ragnar Eiriksson is a nature loving chef,
who was awarded Iceland's first Michelin star.
He now owns and runs restaurant, Vinstukan, in Reykjavik.
His focus is on seasonal ingredients, obscure Icelandic flavors
and apparently, public nudity.
Shit my boo, my nipples are hard.
Shit! Oh shit, that's hot.
It is warm.
It's nice, huh?
GORDON What a beautiful place.
RAGNAR It's very nice.
GORDON Amazing.
You've been instrumental in transforming Icelandic cuisine,
but at the heart of it, the ingredients are key.
Mm-hm.
How good are they?
Obviously they are very fresh because we are so close to our ingredients.
GORDON Yep.
I mean, you can basically catch a fish and cook it for lunch.
GORDON Yes. You know?
Yeah, there and then.
Everything we use we have an abundance of.
Yeah.
We don't have to, like, climb rocks to find the "special herb" somewhere.
They're everywhere.
But naturally sourced.
The river fishes, both the salmon and the arctic char, is just...
...amazing.
Right.
You were instrumental in showing that Michelin, I suppose, magic here in Iceland,
so you may seem a cool, calm, collected guy,
but underneath that beard, there's a feisty, ferocious, competitive chef, right?
There has to be.
Yeah.
I'm going to send you off now to go and find some of these ingredients.
And so if you just go on your own and we'll meet each other at the end of the week.
Mm-hm.
And we'll have a cook off for some guests.
I'd love that. No fancy ingredients.
No fancy, just keep it simple.
Where shall I start?
You could get up and first start finding some herbs.
Can we get dressed first though?
I'm not gonna forage these mountains.
RAGNAR If you insist.
Stark bollock naked, yeah?
Thank you.
RAGNAR Wow. That's the Arctic thyme.
GORDON That's the Arctic thyme there?
RAGNAR Yeah. That's beautiful.
RAGNAR What we're looking for.
Look at the color of that.
RAGNAR Yeah. So fragrant as well.
GORDON Wow, thank you.
RAGNAR You smell that?
GORDON That smells incredible.
So you could could that with a fish quite easily.
I would cook this as little as possible.
Really?
Just keep the flavors in there.
Just throw it in at the end.
Yeah.
That's what I like about the Icelandic, like, ingredients.
So close and so powerful.
Very powerful. Yeah.
That is beautiful.
So. Amazing.
So that has been an exciting start.
Where do you suggest first?
RAGNAR You should go and get some salmon.
You should go and see my friend, Hakon.
Right, listen, that's been amazing. Yeah?
Stay out that hot tub and I'll see you at the end of the week.
Good luck.
Thank you so much. Take care, bud.
Take care.
Enjoy the foraging. Thank you.
GORDON Ragnar's chilled exterior doesn't fool me.
I know that the chef who won Iceland's first Michelin star,
will put up a fight at the final cook.
So, I need to bring my A-game.
Now, Ragnar's sent me to meet a very cool, eccentric Icelandic fisherman, Hakon.
He has his own island, that's how cool he is, and fingers crossed,
I'm gonna catch a beautiful salmon ahead of the final cook.
But it's done in a traditional manner, no rod, no reel.
This is salmon fishing with nets.
Hakon! How are you, sir?
HAKON Hey, I'm good, man, thank you.
GORDON Absolute pleasure.
Why is the water this color?
It's a glacial river, so it's the silt from the glacier.
Ragnar said you have some of the best salmon anywhere in Iceland.
Wild North Atlantic.
Wow.
Icelanders are very protective of their wild salmon.
You can only fish it in fresh water and with special permission.
And this island is home, right?
HAKON It's my home.
Lucky man.
You wanna see it?
I'd love to see, you know that, please, thank you.
And what's the doggy's name?
It's Squiggy.
Squiggy.
I'm so excited to try the salmon I've heard so much about.
I just hope I don't have to strip first.
Thank you, sir.
What a beautiful island.
Oh, my lord.
So it's been for three generations?
HAKON Three generations, since 1940.
GORDON Wow!
HAKON My mother inherited and then she gave it to me for my 40th birthday.
Stop it.
You had this for your 40th birthday?
HAKON Yeah, what did you get?
GORDON I got a kick up the ass from my mum.
So, we're gonna use a net?
HAKON Yeah, yeah.
Yeah, so this is the end of the net.
Got you. This is a fishing pier.
Yes. And is it a busy river?
It's the biggest in Iceland.
It's the biggest water system in Iceland and it has the biggest salmon population in Iceland.
Every salmon I've caught has always been on a rod.
I've never caught a salmon on a net.
HAKON This is work.
Yeah, I'll say.
So, drag it in?
HAKON Drag it in, yes.
Fish it, just pull the rope in, at the very end because it's tied to the bottom.
There we go.
Gotcha. Shit.
HAKON We pull that one out of the river.
Pull that a little more.
There we have it. And now we can.
Ah, there we have one.
There's one.
HAKON There's one.
GORDON Bloody hell. Wow.
So that's a decent size, right?
HAKON Yeah, I would say that was a perfect food size.
Here it is.
Yeah, beautiful. Look at that.
Wow, beautiful condition.
When you feel the tail, there like that, it's just solid muscle, isn't it?
Solid, yeah.
And the span, look how wide they are.
And that's the difference between a farmed salmon and a wild salmon.
You wanna taste it? I'd love to, yes please.
Thank you. Beautiful.
I assume you know how to clean a fish?
GORDON Absolutely. Yeah?
Scale it first, right?
No, no, you don't need to scale it.
You don't scale the fish?
No.
Never? No, never.
GORDON We fillet from there, turn it round and come down off there.
What's so funny? No?
No, no, no.
Yeah, let's get some water.
And then, no, the sink is right there.
You clean it in the river.
Gotcha. Gotcha.
Gotcha, my man.
HAKON Do you have a cloth?
Beautiful.
HAKON Is it clean?
Gotcha.
You usually have people doing this for you, I guess?
No, stop it.
HAKON Oh, okay.
GORDON Don't wanna leave too much meat on there.
With such a prized asset, trust me.
Oh
HAKON There we go.
You had the easy part to take off.
What? They were the same.
Look how firm that flesh is.
Oh, it's so beautiful.
People don't recognize this because it's, you know, people are so used to farmed one,
so, you know, it has this thick fat line.
You know, it looks totally different.
So shall we taste it?
Yes please. Yeah?
There we go.
Gotcha. Thank you.
HAKON Bon appétit, huh?
I just wanna eat it raw first.
HAKON Yeah, go ahead, man, please.
Wow, that's delicious.
It's so firm. I mean, there's no fat.
No, nothing. Just pure muscle.
Come on, Brenda, please?
What do you think? Mmmm. Good, girl?
Yeah.
Amazing. And the marinade?
HAKON Yeah, try that one.
Mm, wow. Bloody hell.
No?
The flavor is incredible, but there's a dynamic here, isn't there?
Because there's a sort of fire and ice.
We've got the waters coming down from the glaciers,
the salt water coming up river,
the salmon coming up to spawn after that two year journey across the Atlantic.
It's a dream scenario.
It's great.
Crazy powers and energy that comes together.
But natural.
I think that's the exciting part for me.
Do you think this is the best salmon in Iceland here, on this river?
It is. It's the best salmon in the world.
GORDON In the world.
Yeah.
For the big cook at the end of the week,
I'd love to take some salmon, you know that?
'Cause I think, you're right, it's one of the best I've ever tasted.
No problem, huh?
But you have to work for it.
So, I'm gonna get you to cast out the net again.
Throw it out? Yeah.
GORDON An amazing technique.
I like the tradition, you know, I feel like I'm keeping the culture alive.
Then you do like this, make a little bundle,
Right.
because you're gonna be, you know, throwing it.
If you throw it far enough you get the seal.
Look at him.
Okay. Gotcha.
Shit it's slippy on here, man.
HAKON Yeah, don't slip, man.
GORDON Okay.
HAKON Don't go with it.
No. Well, look after me.
Hold me.
GORDON I'm in Iceland, trying to master
the traditional art of net fishing for salmon.
Hopefully, the net is the only thing I'll throw in the water.
Look after me.
Hold me.
There we go.
Beautiful, man.
That was amazing, thank you.
Thank you, man.
Good job, buddy.
Amazing.
The condition of the fish are like no other.
It was sort of sweet, meaty flavor, so now we gotta be careful what we add with that,
and how to cook this thing.
Too intense, it's gonna dry out.
Not intense enough, it's gonna be bland.
But tasting it raw, literally minutes fresh from the net,
was good enough for me.
With enough salmon for the final cook,
I'm off to meet a guy who's been innovative with Iceland's geothermal energy.
I'm told he has a very unusual way of baking bread.
Sigi!
Hey!
How are you, captain?
Very good!
GORDON Good to see you, man.
SIGI Good to see you.
Oh, boy, you good?
Yeah, very good.
That is a very firm handshake.
Yeah. Good grip.
Good grip. What's going on here?
I wanna show you a real rye bread.
Right. A rye bread?
Yeah.
I mean, my gran makes rye bread, so what's so secret about this one?
I can promise you, she never made rye bread like this.
We got here four cups of rye and two cups of flour, in the same bowl.
How old is this recipe?
Is it a recipe from the family traditions or?
Yeah, it is. Late 1800, early 1900.
Yeah?
Good. Next?
Yes. Then you put on a glove.
The glove?
Yeah, one glove.
A little butter.
You've got a problem? Bend over?
Take a little butter. GORDON Yes.
SIGI And you, you know.
Gotcha.
SIGI All of this inside.
GORDON All of it? SIGI Yep.
So, and that's it?
We don't leave it to prove for ten minutes or anything, no?
SIGI No.
So, where are we gonna bake this thing?
The ground is boiling underneath us.
Really?
SIGI It's a very active hot spring area.
Right here in this village we have a huge hot spring that we used to heat up the village.
All from these hot springs here?
The geothermal literally takes care of all the heating locally?
Absolutely, yeah.
Wow. Gotcha. Is that enough?
SIGI That's enough. Alright.
So, where's the oven?
Right over there.
We have to do a little work.
GORDON And by work, he means digging my own oven in burning volcanic earth
with a shovel, and by we, he means me.
You've used a shovel before?
I have definitely used a shovel.
How far down are we going?
Bloody hell.
Farther.
You feel that heat there?
SIGI And more.
It's okay, we have the sun for 24 hours so we have plenty of time.
GORDON This is true.
The heat in here is insane!
How big a hole do you want?
Until we see a good bubble.
GORDON hell, Sigi.
SIGI Yeah, you hit the spot right here.
Right. You sound like my wife.
Keep shoveling!
Okay, okay, okay.
More to the right! More to the right!
GORDON Okay, Sigi, you don't have to get vicious on me.
SIGI That's perfect.
Put the pot now on top of the bubbles.
Certainly, yes.
Really?
SIGI Yeah, yeah. Okay.
GORDON Oy! Yes, it's hot.
SIGI Looks pretty good.
GORDON It's bubbling away like mad.
SIGI Yeah.
GORDON But the temperature of that, it's hot,
I mean it's really hot.
SIGI Yeah, yeah, it's above boiling temperature.
That water, when you get down, trust me, it's piping hot.
What a magical way of cooking.
No gas, no electric, just a beautiful spring.
You're almost done.
Now we put the rock on top of it.
We wanna mark it, you know.
Beautiful.
Seriously?
Now, how long is that gonna take to cook?
24 hours.
Sigi, I have not got 24 hours, trust me.
I already bake one.
So, why didn't we just go straight to that one?
You made me dig that hole.
Well, I mean, you don't wanna miss all the fun.
This is it.
Okay. Moment of truth.
GORDON And this went in 24 hours ago?
SIGI Yeah. Can you hear it?
GORDON I can hear it.
SIGI Ah. Yes.
That's incredible. Listen to that bubbling!
SIGI Yeah, yeah, yeah.
GORDON That is insane.
SIGI Put it over here.
GORDON Sigi!
SIGI It's a beauty.
Honestly. You're not just a pretty face.
That looks beautiful.
That smells delicious.
Yeah, it does.
Look at the color of it. All from in there.
Ready?
Yeah.
GORDON Oh, my God. Stop it. Stop.
SIGI Perfect.
That rye, I mean, it smells amazing.
I just...mmm.
May I just take a little slice?
Absolutely.
GORDON Oh, my lord. SIGI, I'm in heaven.
SIGI Yeah.
Look at that.
Oh. Oh, my God.
I just wanna dive in there.
This is beautiful.
SIGI And then.
Oh. Something quite special about slicing warm bread.
And then on top of the bread.
SIGI On top of the bread.
GORDON Amazing. SIGI Exactly.
I mean, this is the most glamorous buffet in Iceland tonight.
Cheers. Look at that.
Cheers.
Food fit for a Viking.
Yeah.
Come on. Come on.
Mm. Wow.
Goes well together, you know.
That is delicious. Honestly.
A marriage made in a volcano.
It's rich, very dense, it's sweet and salty as well at the same time.
Exactly, yeah.
It's got me thinking because this technique, the rye bread, amazing, thank you.
Chef to chef, thank you very much.
Take care.
You too.
GORDON That was an extraordinary rye bread
and Sigi was right, unlike one I've ever tasted.
Now, I'm traveling to the West Fjords,
a beautiful peninsula in Northwest Iceland,
to a farm near the idyllic town of Isafjordur.
Although it doesn't look like it, it is still summer in Iceland.
Ragnar has sent me to this remote part of the country to taste the unique ingredient
all the locals swear by.
My guide, Berna, says her friend, Finnbogi makes the best in town.
So, what are we gonna taste?
Well, we're gonna try some local delicacy.
Yes.
It's fermented shark.
Fermented shark?
Have you had that before?
That's an acquired taste.
I tried fermented fish in Norway
and couldn't stomach it,
but the locals here love it, and so far, no one has steered me wrong.
It stinks.
It's lovely. Ah, but it tastes so good.
Look at this.
Here you go.
Hello!
FINNBOGI Hello.
How are you?
BERNA He would like to try some of your fermented shark.
The smell.
Okay, yeah.
Wow. You can't smell that? Is that not.
BERNA No.
That's strong. That is so strong.
BERNA This is the kids' version.
Right.
BERNA This is a soft one.
That's a soft one? And it takes how long to ferment?
BERNA Total, seven, eight months.
Oh, my God, look at that in there.
That's it all in there.
BERNA You don't know how to do it, so he'll do it for you.
Thank you.
So this is a.
You have to show you're an Icelander and a real man, he says.
Almost his favorite food.
GORDON Wow.
BERNA He also has something to help you wash it down,
Brennivín, burning wine.
Burning wine.
It's like, tastes a bit of cumin.
It's quite nice.
It was made 15 years ago, so it's been aging for a while.
Oh, my God.
Put this and then swallow it.
So, in and swallow? Cheers.
BERNA Skál, we say, skál.
GORDON Skál, thank you.
BERNA I think the wine is gonna be.
Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Be strong.
GORDON Cheers.
BERNA Skál, we say, skál.
Skál, thank you.
I'm in Northwest Iceland,
sampling a pungent slice of fermented shark,
that I'm not convinced is meant to be eaten.
Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, come on, come on, come on.
Be strong.
Ee-hee.
BERNA Are you alright?
Oh, my God.
Shit.
Oh, my nose has gone all fizzy.
Yeah, if he cuts it smaller, you can call it an appetizer.
Really?
You clearly love this, fermented shark, but would you say it's healthy?
Definitely, he says.
Your joints get all better.
It's good for your stomach and your poop gets way better.
Right, so I'm not gonna be using any of the fermented shark for the final cook,
but that's not about you, that's just my taste.
You don't need to cook it.
GORDON Okay.
It's ready.
Just bury it, but don't tell him that.
I'd like to invite both of you to the final cook
and just show you a different way.
GORDON Yes? Thank you.
BERNA Yes, thank you. He'll be there.
Okay, great. I look forward to it.
Thank you so much, God bless.
Take care, thank you.
BERNA Bless, bless.
GORDON Damn.
I think I've just shit my pants.
I'm at another incredible hot spring.
This time it's not baking bread, it's using geothermal to produce incredible salt,
using a method dating back to the 17th century.
Look at this place, it's amazing.
Hey, Chef!
How are you?
Great, how are you?
Nice to see you. Nice to meet you.
My lord, what a beautiful place.
GISLI Yeah.
How many tons of salt are you producing?
We roughly make around ten tons per month, so yeah, 120 per year.
That's a lot. Yeah.
And to think it's all sourced naturally using that hot spring.
Yeah. That's amazing.
And all hand-harvested.
GORDON The water from these hot springs is used to heat,
boil and dry this flaky sea salt.
I'd like to harvest some so it's straight to the pan room where the real work begins.
So here we are.
Phew. Wow, that's hot.
Yeah.
That is so hot.
It's like being in an intense sauna.
Wow, look at that.
You can see the crystals, they just start to form like in small particles.
Yes.
And then they connect together to these bigger flakes.
Wow.
And when they get heavy enough, they kind of like drop to the bottom
and that's where we harvest it.
Gotcha. Gotcha. Thank you.
Don't break the flakes, because it's very expensive salt.
Next to you, that line, yeah?
Yeah, next to you.
So just like pull it in slowly.
There it goes.
Bloody hell.
Jeez, man, it's like a workout, isn't it?
Yeah.
No need for Crossfit stations in
No, this is Crossfit, isn't it?
No wonder you guys are so fit.
And then in?
Yeah.
Shit.
GISLI Starting to sweat?
I'll say, big time.
Next one over here.
No, no, no, don't.
You have to pull it much more slower.
If you pull it too hard, it gets kind of muddy and then, when you dry it,
it makes harder crystals.
Yeah, I can see it filling up now.
And we make sure that all the salt is, like, harvested with care.
You're acting too rough to it.
You're not a chef today, you're a salt maker.
Is heavy though, right?
Yeah, it is really heavy.
One scoop like this is probably ten, 15 kilograms.
Gently, please.
GORDON Yes. Thank you.
Shit.
Beautiful, Chef.
What a process.
Yeah. You've done a good job.
Bloody hell.
GISLI So now we dry them.
Oh, man, that is hot.
A wise man once told me, if you can't stand the heat, get the out of the kitchen.
Yes. And this is it.
GISLI Here we have the final product.
This has been dried in our drying room.
We have some bowls there, we can actually try some out, shouldn't we.
Shall we? Oh, I see.
GISLI And they become, like, really, really nice.
GORDON They're like beautiful flakes of snow.
They just glisten.
GISLI Yeah.
GORDON It's like white diamonds.
GISLI Yeah.
Our salt actually has a flavor of umami to it, because the sea water here is so pure.
Really like kind of mild.
That is delicious.
It's really nice.
It's so intense and it's not, uh...
Bitter.
No, nowhere near bitter. So you use less of it?
Yeah.
Yeah, I mean what a product. That is beautiful.
GISLI Yeah. Yeah.
You know how competitive Ragnar is, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, I gotta get my act together.
He's fierce.
Yeah. May I take some, please?
Yes. Cheers, mate.
Thank you.
Good to see you.
That was one of the most incredible natural ways I've ever tasted salt.
The process is quite straightforward, but it can only take place here,
and that's what makes it so special.
It has got me thinking because that's gonna help elevate the proteins.
I'm on my way to meet local diver, Simbi,
who is gonna take me diving for the most amazing shellfish.
With only two days left until the cook,
I'm running out of time to get my menu sorted.
But Ragnar gave me a shortcut.
Now, I know this is meant to be the way, but the road's getting narrower.
No way.
The actual road disappeared.
You are kidding me.
No. Shit!
Shit! Damn!
GORDON Damn.
Ragnar's shortcut cost me precious time, but I quickly get back on track
and now I'm more determined than ever to win.
Simbi!
Hey, Gordon! Hi, how are you?
Very well thank you, sir, how are you?
I'm very good. Nice to see you finally.
Likewise. Good to see you too.
They said you're the best diver in Iceland?
I am.
I'm dying to get my hands on some amazing scallops.
Ragnar said, get out, go to the mountains, get into the sea.
Yeah.
Is this place laden with scallops?
Yeah, there's a lot of scallops where we're gonna dive today.
Beautiful. What's this beauty here?
This is a underwater scooter.
Right.
It drags us 70 meters in one minute
and I have another one for you.
GORDON Wow. Seriously?
We are gonna be together.
So we're dragging and picking?
SIMBI Yeah. GORDON You ready?
SIMBI Yeah, I am ready. Let's get our suits on.
GORDON Suits? And leave.
GORDON Simbi's taking me to a diving spot
ten miles along Iceland's stunning Northwest coastline.
Can we go a little bit faster?
You want me to speed up?
GORDON I'm wearing a dry suit,
because the seasons don't appear to change in Iceland.
We're in summer. It looks like winter.
We got snow literally just above the waterline.
Yeah, the snowy mountains they're called.
GORDON Right.
Oh, look, a seal, literally just popped his head up there. Wow.
They're excited too.
That's a good sign.
They know you.
The seals may be welcoming, but Simbi takes hospitality to a new level.
My hands are so cold.
I'm gonna freeze my nuts off.
I can help you.
What, get them warm?
Yeah, get them warm. Warm them up.
Are you.
Come on, Simbi! Seriously.
Good luck.
Don't this up.
Thank you.
Let's get this.
Come on, man.
We've got this, let's go.
Right, ready?
Oh, my mask, hell!
You are an idiot scallop. Idiot scallop!
You'll be the bigger idiot if we don't catch any scallops.
Yeah.
GORDON Simbi harvests these prize scallops by hand,
to protect this pristine ecosystem.
In Scotland, they're easy to spot because of their flat tops.
Here, they're rounded on both sides and there's poor visibility.
But Simbi is a pro.
I mean, that guy was like a Jack Russel underwater.
Just scurrying around everywhere.
But, all of a sudden, you start recognizing these scallops
and they look like a giant clam from a distance.
And then you start to understand, it's a scallop, so, yeah,
cold but it's the minerals in the water that make these things so special.
Phew!
Yoo-hoo!
That was amazing.
Let's have a look?
Nine kilos.
That's a beauty.
Whoo!
I can't wait to try them.
Me too.
Seriously, good job.
Man, you move fast down there.
Of course. I am an Icelandic Viking.
Now, I'm dying to taste them.
And just open it up like this.
Gotcha.
SIMBI And I put my finger here inside.
GORDON Right. That's crazy. The skirt.
Like this.
Oh, it's still moving.
There you go.
Thank you.
Take the little muscle off there.
Cheers.
Thank you.
Wow.
We eat them every day.
GORDON They are so sweet.
I was amazed how fragile the shell is.
Yeah.
In Scotland, they're a lot thicker.
I don't think they're gonna take long to cook.
They're gonna cook in seconds.
Only seconds.
So sweet.
When you've got a scallop that's tasting that good, honestly, you gotta keep it simple.
I've been warned, so maybe a quick sear and maybe something pickled with it?
I don't know yet, but I've got the prize asset.
I have one last stop to make before the big cook.
Ragnar has sent me up into the mountains to meet an amazing sheep farmer,
'cause Ragnar reckons that this is some of the best lamb anywhere in Iceland.
Finally. Dui.
Oh, hi!
How are you, sir? DUI How are you?
Good to see you. Absolute pleasure.
And what's your name?
Gudru. Gudru.
How do I say that for short?
Gud.
Gud. Gud.
Now, Ragnar said you got the best lamb anywhere in the country.
I agree with him.
GORDON Today, Dui is moving his flock away from precious farmland
and into the mountains for grazing.
I've agreed to help in exchange for some prime cuts of meat for the final cook.
So, you go this way.
Let me go up here.
The first stage is to move the sheep into the next field.
Sounds simple enough.
DUI Here is the gate.
They have to go out to this fence here.
GORDON Shit my boots.
DUI Run faster!
GORDON Run faster?
DUI Well, I won't.
GORDON If it looks like I don't know what I'm doing,
it's because I don't know what I'm doing.
They're going the wrong way.
GORDON Jesus Christ.
Luckily, Gud is here to encourage me.
What are you doing!?
GORDON They just told me to send them up the hill.
They didn't tell me where up the hill.
DUI Be quick! Be quick!
GORDON Be quick?
I'm running up the hill.
DUI You're losing them!
Shit!
GUD No! GORDON Shit!
GUD Why are you so slow?
GORDON I'm trying to get faster.
DUI It's very important to keep moving!
And then you have to scream and say, "hoo! Hoo!"
GORDON What are we screaming?
DUI Later on, then you say ho!
GORDON Ho!
GUD Why are you there? Come here!
GORDON Come on, girl. Keep it up!
Despite the chaos, GUD is relentless in her efforts to herd me.
GUD No!
GORDON I'm not sure whether to apologize or offer her a job.
Shit.
GUD It's not supposed to be there.
GORDON But I'm not a quitter.
So I keep struggling to prevent them from returning to the farmland
they're not supposed to be on.
They're going out the gate there!
GORDON Where's the fence?
How are you doing everything wrong?
Seriously?
GORDON Where are they going?
GUD They are going out the gate there.
GORDON I'm in the middle of an Icelandic rainstorm, trying to herd sheep,
while a father and daughter try to herd me.
Jesus Christ.
They're going the wrong way.
DUI They're escaping!
GORDON But I soon learn that escaping means
they are heading to the mountains where they belong.
Finally.
DUI Yes!
GORDON Whoo! Ho! Ho!
Bloody hell.
God. Well done.
DUI Well done, yes.
GORDON All done. DUI Yep.
GORDON We finally herd the sheep to the right place,
off the farmland and up into the mountains for grazing.
Can you send the helicopter please?
I'm not making excuses.
That terrain up there is pretty uneven, but a fit family, let me tell you,
they can run for hours.
I'm standing here, soaked to the bone.
However, I've got my lamb.
This week's been amazing and I really have understood
what this land of fire and ice means.
Just the land and the sea and the mountains, it's been a real eye-opener.
I've got to grips with the essence of proper Icelandic cuisine.
It's the day of the final cook and, honestly, I am feeling the pressure.
But I do think I've sort of mastered their craft of simplicity,
so fingers crossed,
I've got enough up my sleeve to impress my guests and give Ragnar a run for his money.
Ragnar!
Hey! We good?
Yes, and yourself?
What a week.
Last time I saw you it was in a hot tub.
RAGNAR Yeah, it was nicer, huh?
Oh, my God.
Doing good, huh?
I've had the most amazing week.
Okay. Absolutely brilliant.
Great kitchen. I mean, come on.
Spacey?
GORDON This is Iceland.
RAGNAR Yeah.
GORDON Right, you ready?
RAGNAR Yeah.
GORDON We're cooking up a feast for my generous local hosts
and the pressure is on.
Three stunning dishes against my three stunning dishes.
Uh-huh.
Best of luck. Good luck.
GORDON Let's go, captain.
I'm starting by making a marinade
for my freshly caught Atlantic salmon.
As Ragnar prepares his leg of mountain lamb.
What a week.
How was your diving?
GORDON Diving was incredible. Yeah.
RAGNAR Okay. Amazing scallops.
RAGNAR Okay, yeah.
GORDON And Simbi was amazing. What a diver.
RAGNAR Yeah.
He's like a little rabbit underwater.
Crazy man.
He always finds the stuff.
GORDON I bet.
Welcome to an Icelandic summer, right?
You got your sunscreen on?
Sunscreen, no.
Let me tell you, fermented shark is not gonna be on the menu.
Did you eat it?
I ate it for about two seconds.
It came out.
Oh, my God. What is it with that?
I mean, why is it so popular?
Guys want to show off...
...eat this horrible food.
The Vikings are macho.
I'm packing a little leg up here in a nice big.
Wow.
Cigar of a.
Wow. So you got all the herbs there?
Yeah.
Lots of the dulce, lots of the angelica.
GORDON You didn't sear it first, just literally wrap it in the herbs first?
RAGNAR Yeah, just pack it in.
GORDON The salmon quality, Ragnar, is incredible.
Yeah, from Hakon?
How was your trip to his island?
GORDON Beautiful.
It's a very nice island.
GORDON I've been dying to cook this all night, you know that?
Now, the secret behind this salmon is using that incredible thyme salt.
Oh, yeah, from. The Arctic thyme.
From Gisli. How beautiful is that?
That's lovely. Honestly.
RAGNAR I cured my salmon in Arctic thyme, so.
GORDON Right. Hopefully that rain's gonna disappear.
I'm afraid not, but let's hope.
My God. That just needs a quick sear.
Oh, that looks good.
Have a little taste.
Steal a bit off the side, please.
I'm gonna leave that sitting there, just marinading.
I'll do a little herb salad.
Honestly, and that skin.
RAGNAR And the charcoal is doing so much for it.
Isn't that lovely? It's almost like the bacon of the sea.
Amazing.
Right, the back strap, I'm gonna keep this pink.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
'Cause, as you know, you can eat this raw.
RAGNAR Do it real quick.
GORDON Yeah. A quick sear. Beautiful color.
You don't want to cook it too much.
Knowing our guests...
...don't undercook it.
Don't undercook it?
Keep it simple. Keep it tasty.
GORDON Hearty.
RAGNAR Hearty, exactly.
Got you.
And they will not be afraid to tell you what they think.
Right, so they're not delicate?
They don't care who you are.
They'll tell you.
They're not delicate souls?
No, Iceland.
I love that, you know that?
I love that.
Rain's stopping, sun's coming out.
Wouldn't go that far, but it's raining a little bit less.
Us Scotts, we love the rain. Seriously.
Feels like home?
GORDON The great British summer.
Alright, I think it's time for my mussels.
GORDON You're just gonna stick them in there?
Yeah. They can sit right here.
GORDON Look at that glow in there though. Yeah.
RAGNAR Beautiful. You could forge steel in there. Beautiful.
GORDON So you don't need to wrap them, just stick them over there?
RAGNAR Stick them over there.
They're already wrapped.
GORDON Wow, yeah. Beautiful!
Are we getting ready for the guests?
They're arriving soon.
They are arriving soon, you're right.
I'm running a little bit behind, surprise, surprise.
No worries. I'll stall them.
GORDON I mean, I've cooked in some locations but, honestly, the bloody rain.
I mean, the heavens have opened.
But Ragnar, he's not bothered one little bit.
Now my herbs are blowing away.
they are.
Wow. They are beautiful.
RAGNAR Huge.
Will you serve them as an appetizer or a.
RAGNAR I don't know, as a main course.
I'll just taste some of that juice.
RAGNAR Yep.
GORDON Bloody hell. They are beautiful.
RAGNAR I mean, that's typical for our seafood.
It's big, beautiful.
Big and strong. Have a little taste.
The color of the lamb, it's just slightly gamy.
Okay, so it's like.
Mm, and those herbs.
GORDON That freshness?
Mm-hm.
No more salt? A touch more.
Touch more. RAGNAR Yeah.
GORDON Last thing there, just my scallops,
'cause I wanna cook them at the very last minute.
So I'm gonna do like a little pickled rhubarb and apple with shallots.
Oh yeah?
GORDON So, I'm gonna sit them on top,
almost like a little salad with the Arctic thyme.
Look at the color of the shells inside.
It's beautiful. It's stunning.
That's the land of contrast. The beautiful midnight sun.
Yes.
And the wonderful midday rain.
GORDON Yeah.
RAGNAR But we gotta hurry up.
The guests are coming, so, no more chitter-chatter.
GORDON Okay, okay, okay.
Okay, okay. Man, you're bossy.
Gotta keep you focused.
Is the hot tub fully booked?
There's always space in the hot tub.
GORDON Right, scallops are going in.
I'm gonna glaze with a little bit of Icelandic whiskey.
RAGNAR Oh, please do.
Okay. Just a touch.
So I can defrost my balls.
'Cause right now, my testicles are like ice cubes.
I'll take your word for it.
Smell that now. Come on.
Oh, that's the stuff.
Oh, my god. Bloody hell.
I'm gonna slice up my cured salmon, plate it up.
Alright. Final touch.
That's a bit of the uni.
GORDON Nice.
RAGNAR Like a little secret.
That looks beautiful.
Mm-hm.
Hurry up before they blow away.
RAGNAR Are you ready?
GORDON Can you just give me a minute, please?
You keep on distracting me.
RAGNAR Give you a minute.
GORDON Just, I'll be 30 seconds. Okay?
It's not a race, I know you're competitive.
Okay.
RAGNAR It's getting there.
GORDON Show me yours and I'll show you mine.
RAGNAR Sounds like a plan.
Bring it over, big boy.
Whoo.
Nice one. Well done, bud.
That looks beautiful.
RAGNAR Looking good, huh?
I mean, that is Iceland on a plate.
Okay. Good job, bud.
GORDON It's time to serve up our feast to all the people I've met this week.
Ragnar has raised his game.
RAGNAR Watch your head.
GORDON And, I don't know who's gonna impress the guests more.
The bearded Viking or the giant Scott.
Good afternoon.
Ladies and gentlemen, how are we?
BERNA Good, thanks. How are you guys?
GUEST Good.
GORDON Glad to say the rain has stopped.
A little cold, a little wet but.
GORDON Oh, my lord.
I'm gonna start with the scallops, Simbi,
because you and I went a long way for those things.
Very, very quickly seared them and served a little salad of local rhubarb and apple.
Next to that I've got the strap of lamb.
Again, it's been rolled in herbs, coated in mustard and grilled on charcoal,
over some smashed potatoes and mushrooms and these beautiful wild berries.
And then my final dish is the amazing salmon, grilled, marinated
and finished with a beautiful herb salad.
I cured Hakon's salmon there in some Arctic thyme, salt and sugar.
I seared some sea urchin, or uni.
You have the mahogany clams, we have the horse mussels with some pickled yarrow
and pickled spruce needles.
Finally, a leg of lamb, cooked all wrapped up in a big bundle
of angelica and dulce.
BERNA Nice.
Excellent. Please enjoy.
BERNA Thank you very much.
GUEST Thank you.
GORDON They do seem to be enjoying it.
There's a lot of back and forth.
They are eating it at least, so, that's a good sign.
Do you think they're gonna get very territorial about their own ingredients?
RAGNAR Probably.
Good scallops?
SIMBI I haven't seen it done with apples before.
Very interesting.
They're proper gourmands, aren't they?
They do enjoy food.
RAGNAR Yeah, yeah.
So, I think it's gonna be tough to put a smile on their face.
BERNA Finnbogi finds Gordon's salmon is a bit weak.
Not much flavor to it.
But he is used to eating shark.
I don't think that Gordon's salmon is overcooked, but it tastes good.
GUEST Very good.
Ragnar's salmon is better.
Whose dishes do you think they prefer?
Mine of course.
GORDON Come on.
But I dived for those scallops.
I chased that lamb up the hill.
Looks like they're finishing up.
Shall we?
Yeah, let's do it.
Bloody hell.
Happy faces.
BERNA Good.
GUEST Of course.
DUI Very, very.
Simbi, let's start with the scallops, how were they?
It was amazing to have it with apples and rhubarb.
Yes.
SIMBI It was a perfect combination.
So I will give you probably eight of ten.
Right. Thank you. I'll take it.
And the horse mussels?
Very good, but they also sometimes hard to chew.
RAGNAR Yeah, yeah.
That's why you have knives and forks.
I mean, they're huge.
Really good. So which one did you prefer?
Of course, the scallops.
Sorry, I know you're competitive.
I know that. But this is a big one for me.
RAGNAR Is fine, it's fine.
So, the salmon. Cured, grilled?
BERNA Well, there was a split verdict around the table.
Some found the grilled one too dry, but good flavor.
The cured is nice and fresh.
I believe Thesa preferred the cured one, whereas Finnbogi,
he actually thought there was more flavor of the grilled one.
But it's no shark, he said.
So, it's one one. Down to the lamb.
GUESTS Yeah.
Let's start off with the leg.
How was that?
The leg, was very good.
It's always the question in Iceland, we like to overcook it
and we just take the leg and we shake the meat off the leg, like this.
Got you.
But this was heavenly and I think I have never tasted
this kind of lamb like this.
It was your lamb. Chased them up the hill.
DUI Yeah, yeah.
So, which lamb did you prefer?
This one, I have to say.
You got it, I guess. Congratulations.
GORDON Man, two exceptional lamb dishes.
And, for me, this week was about the quality of what you have already.
So, you said earlier, don't get fancy, but dig deep
because when you find that treasure, it's heavenly.
Thank you.
And thank you for no shark.
Yes?
Next time you try the real stuff.
The good news is, the guests loved the food.
And honestly, deep down inside, it wasn't about beating Ragnar,
it was about getting up to his speed
and understand the land of ice and fire
and how powerful this energy is.
Thank you for giving me the most amazing week, and thank you to you, sir.
Thank you for being here.
Honestly. Continued success.
And let's have a rematch in Scotland.
Yes.
GORDON You up for it?
RAGNAR Sounds good, yeah.
Alright. Amazing.
Take care. And God bless. Thank you so much.
RAGNAR Thank you.
Take care.
I've learned so much this week about the delicious Icelandic cuisine.
I've dived for scallops on a scooter, chased lamb up the mountain
and even baked the most amazing, delicious volcanic bread.
But most of all, I've met some of the most adorable characters ever,
that I will not forget quickly, and now, on to my next adventure.
Man, rain.
Captioned by Cotter Media Group.