Vanessa Jackson – Page 3 – What Was Pebble Mill?

Giorgio Locatelli: Pure Italian episode listing

Copyright resides with the original holder, no reproduction without permission

In 2001-2 we made a 15 part series with Italian chef, Giorgio Locatelli, for the UK Food channel, at Pebble Mill. It was Giorgio’s first TV series. Below is the programme information which we supplied to UK Food: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/tv/giorgio-locatelli-pure-italian/

“In this inspirational new series, Giorgio Locatelli gets fresh with timeless classics like tiramisu and osso bucco and seduces us with innovative interpretations of Italian dishes suffused with tempting Mediterranean flavours.

Importing only the finest Italian ingredients and savouring the choicest seasonal produce available, Giorgio Locatelli has pioneered a new ‘Britalian’ cuisine in the kitchens of Zafferano and Cecconi’s in London.

Food fashion has been dominated in the recent past by fusion and anything fast, but Italian cookery has always remained close to our hearts tempting us with the hint of Tuscan landscapes and three-hour lunches al fresco. In Giorgio’s hands we discover the delights of Italian food as he shows us how to find the finest and freshest ingredients and in his inimitable fashion turns them into mouth-watering modern menus.

In each episode we hook up with Giorgio out and about as he shops for vital ingredients. Then he welcomes us into his kitchen where perhaps he shows us how to make the perfect polenta and then, for the second dish, how to create something very special by introducing a contemporary twist on an Italian classic. In between dishes Giorgio gives us his guide to the best ingredients – perfect for entertaining.

The series is inspirational and full of the Italian passion and personality that influence the food so the viewer feels like a fellow guest in Giorgio’s kitchen.

Italians thrive on company and Giorgio is no exception. Throughout the series he is joined by fellow foodies, wine buffs and friends who stay for lunch and occasionally lend a hand. Giorgio Locatelli – Pure Italian is packed with fresh ideas to inspire the would-be chefs among us.

“Locatelli is the hottest thing since Calabrese salami in Italian restaurant cooking right now (Locanda Locatelli, London) and we’re here to tell you this guy’s food is exceptional.” John Lethlean, Epicure, The Age”

There were 15 episodes of Giorgio Locatelli: Pure Italian

Episode 1: North v. South. Giorgio is joined by Neapolitan chef Vincenzo Borgonzola to discuss the differences between the styles of cooking in the north and south of Italy.

Episode 2: Fish. Giorgio is joined by restaurateur Tony Allan, who is a great connoisseur of fish. Featured recipes chargrilled tuna with rocket and tomato salad; and frangipane tart.

Episode 3: Meaty. Butcher Clem Arricale joins Giorgio to prepare a selection of mouthwatering meat dishes, including Italian sausages with borlotti beans and calf’s liver with sultanas.

Episode 4: Savoury. A selection of Italian cakes and sweets are supplied by Ninai Zarach, an importer of fine Italian ingredients, who joins Giorgio in the kitchen for lunch.

Episode 5: Family. Giorgio is joined by his wife and daughter for a family meal. Recipes include buckwheat pasta with fontina cheese, leeks, cabbage and potato, entrecote of beef.

Episode 6: Food for the Boys. Giorgio prepares a meal for two friends, chef Andy Needham and fashion stylist Greg Faye. Dishes include beef carpaccio, potato and mint ravioli with a red pepper sauce.

Episode 7: Sunday Lunch. Top chef Giorgio Locatelli is joined by two friends, Italian cheese connoisseur Marco Vineis and chef Nick Bell, for Sunday lunch. This is classic Italian cuisine with a twist.

Episode 8: Quick Supper. Giorgio serves up some wholesome fast food to busy restaurateur Roy Ackermann: grilled tomini cheese with walnuts and pomegranates; and chargrilled chicken with spinach.

Episode 9: Entertaining Supper. Giorgio prepares an extravagant supper menu guaranteed to impress his friends and family. There is also a look behind the scenes in Giorgio’s restaurant to learn about wine.

Episode 10: Taste of Tuscany. Giorgio prepares a meal for chef Mario Bonaccorsi inspired by the flavours of Northern Italy. He also takes a trip to a specialist Italian delicatessen.

Episode 11: Pure Italian. Giorgio prepares a meal for his son and an old family friend using natural ingredients. He also visits London’s No 1 meat market and reveals his idea of the perfect cup of coffee.

Episode 12: Friends for Dinner. Pasquale D’Amico, head chef at one of London’s top Italian restaurants, is coming to dinner, so Giorgio prepares a meal to meet his friend’s exacting standards.

Episode 13: Special Celebration. Giorgio is joined by sushi chef Mark Edwards to prepare a selection of seafood dishes: baby octopus with tomato and bruschetta; and pears poached in wine and aromatic spices.

Episode 14: Colourful Cooking. Giorgio decides to use colourful ingredients to whet the appetites of his guests: chef Federico Sali and Benedetta Sita. He also explains why food presentation is so important.

Episode 15: Vegetarian. Giorgio prepares a selection of vegetarian dishes for market man Danny Murphy. He also takes a trip to Battersea in London, to visit a warehouse which houses a surprising secret.

I was the series producer, with self-shooting directors: Paul Vanezis and Paul Newman, and researcher: Joolz Richards.

Vanessa Jackson

On the House – cat flap

Photo by Chris Wedgebury, no reproduction without permission.

This photo is from the last series of the BBC 2 DIY show, On The House TX 4th November 1988. Steph Silk was the series producer, and the presenters were Rick Ball, Pattie Coldwell and Harry Greene. I was the researcher on an item about how to fit a catflap, which we recorded in the studio house, in the back garden of Pebble Mill. I brought in my dog, Oscar (whose head is sticking through the cat flap) to test out the cat flap. The cat in the photo is Steph Silk’s cat, Bagpuss. I do remember that The Clothes Show Exec, Roger Casstles brought in his own cat, also called Oscar, who was Siamese, and spent most of his time sat on top of the fence surrounding the house.

Vanessa Jackson

Here is the Radio Times entry for the episode, from the BBC Genome project http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/861c145b4f1a4114b036fc43c05aaaed:

‘Third of six programmes What’s new pussycat?
Pattie Coldwell looks at what’s available in cat flaps. Rick Ball finds out if self-build is worth the effort as the Cures move into the home they’ve built themselves. Troubleshoot goes to Nottingham where Harry Greene helps Stasia French draughtstrip her front door.
What’s in Store keeps you up-to-date with the latest in DIY, decor and design. Producer ANDREW MEIKLE
Series producer STEPHANIE SILK BBC Pebble Mill
Send factsheet requests to: [address removed]. Enclose £1.25 for double issue (3 and 4) or £3.50 for whole series (1-6)
ChequeslPOs payable to Housefax’

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Jane Ward: ‘I remember that day so well!
My grey tabby, Chutzpah, took part too. I remember having “cat catchers” stationed all over the set as various moggies made their bid for freedom! Chutzpah’s expenses cheque was never cashed…(about 99p?!). Think it hung in my loo for a while.
I think Angela Horsman (now Profit) from Contracts also brought her long haired fluffy cat in (sorry, not sure of breed!). I seem to remember she (the cat!) looked around most disdainfully at the whole proceedings…
Hilarious day! ‘

Small Town Gardens – Ripon

This article was published in the Scenic Blue Garden Living Magazine in Spring 2004; it features a garden makeover we did in Ripon, North Yorkshire for the design show, Small Town Gardens series 3. This series was presented by James Alexander Sinclair, and I was the series producer. The producer/director of this episode was Paul Vanezis.

The garden was a very formal design, inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll had been a frequent visitor to the house, and one of the girls who lived there was said to be the inspiration for Alice.

Vanessa Jackson

Gardeners’ World Live

This titles grab is from Gardeners’ World Live from the 1990s. Gardeners’ World Live was the television show from the annual gardening event of the same name; which is held at the NEC in mid June each year. The gardening exhibition is organised by Haymarket, who publish the BBC Gardeners’ World magazine. The television show is usually presented by a selection of the weekly Gardeners’ World presenters.

I produced this television show over several years, and used to really enjoy making it. We used to have a production office at the show, and then come back to Pebble Mill for the post production, and transmission. It was a quick turnaround, with the majority of the programme being recorded on the week of transmission, with a couple of video-taped inserts recorded in advance. I remember one year, where we realised about fifteen minutes before the transmission that we needed an extra piece of voice-over to make a particular junction work. I’ve never seen people move so fast, and everyone worked brilliantly as a team to find the presenter, write the script, lash together a mic, record the VO and insert it into the transmission tape – and we still made transmission! John Walton was the online VT editor that year, and did a fantastic job.

Thanks to Ian Collins for making the grab available.

Vanessa Jackson

Good Morning with Anne and Nick – D-Day

Today it is the 70th Anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the end of WWII.

I remember the 50th Anniversary of D-Day in 1994. I was an assistant producer on Good Morning with Anne and Nick. The D-Day Anniversary was an important topic for Good Morning, and one that we wanted to cover with a live outside broadcast from Normandy. I think that we were going to borrow an existing BBC Events OB unit which was going to be covering some of the events later in the day. They initially said that that was going to be fine, and then decided a day or two before D-Day that they would be too busy to help us out, so we had to organise our own OB!

My job was to be the producer back in Birmingham, in case anything went wrong. We had a whole parallel script made up of links and short films, to go to, if the OB link went down. I think that Will Hanrahan was one of the standby presenters, and I can’t remember who else joined him on the sofa. I was ever so slightly terrified, as I had never produced a live show in the gallery before – but all was well, and the OB signal behaved itself, and I just sat in Gallery C, and followed the dummy running order and script I’d spent days perfecting, alongside the live OB.

Vanessa Jackson

The following comments were left on the Pebble Mill Facebook Page:

Sharon Fisher: ‘I remember! My first OB. Vidal Sassoon was being interviewed and I was busy doing specially printed red white and blue viewer response cards.’

Caroline Feldon: ‘My first OB was for Radio 3 at the Cheltenham Festival. A week or so of fab concerts at the Town Hall and Pittville Pump Room with legends such as Mark Decker, Tony Wass, Steve Portnoi and anyone remember Alan Ward?’

Paul Hunt: ‘Tom Horsfield and I were there in 1994 by Southsea castle looking out across the Solent with Tony Wadsworth and Julie Mayer to do a live OB for WM. We had a very early start to do our rig – once done we had some time to take in the immense scale of what we part of and what we were remembering. Tom then took some photos of the flotilla of ships including the Canberra, the QE2 and the George Washington aircraft carrier. The OB went without a hitch. As we de-rigged we discovered that Tom’s camera had been stolen from the OB van – which put a sad end to such a memorable event.’

Katie Wright: ‘I think you’re thinking of the Dunkirk anniversary Vanessa Jackson. We were on board HMS Alacrity, escorting the little ships across from Dover to Calais…. Phil Thickett was with me.. And Helena Taylor. My father was on the beaches and it was a real honour to remember him and all the others and the many who risked their own lives to rescue them. We had to get Alacrity to sail at a strange angle to keep ‘line of sight’ to our vehicle on the white cliffs, which would explain why you were on standby throughout. ‘