“In the kitchen, craft is everything,” Michel announces at the beginning of the second series of The Craftsmen’s Dinner, Rogan Productions latest online series. Directed by Edward McGown, this five-part series follows Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr. as he teams up with the Balvenie once again to tell the stories of people preserving craft methods in unexpected ways and places. Together, they travel the country to meet unique British craftsmen, to learn about their craft and what it is that makes their produce so special.
In order to truly understand the value and get a sense for the various crafts, Michel does not shy away from getting his hands dirty: from turning cheese in a tub with Wildes Cheese to bending Morgan Car Company wheel arches, Michel gets to experience first-hand the challenges and difficulties these crafts entail.
We begin this series in the heart of Suffolk visiting Will Wooster’s bakery and windmill. Will, a young baker who took over the Wooster’s bakery from his parents who had taken it over from their own parents, teaches us about the importance of sourcing quality flour and yeast naturally. Will mills his own flour in his own windmill, a nowadays-rarefied technique that has a considerable impact on the quality of the bread. Will’s is one of the last windmills in the country and Michel notes the stark difference between Will’s sourdough bread and its supermarket alternatives.
Dale Gibson, the craftsman behind the Bermondsey Street Honey, has found that he can produce the best, high-quality honey… in the heart of London. He explains that due to all of London’s little gardens and parks, his bees can feed on incredibly varied forage. This in turn produces a very rich tasting honey. So instead of sourcing his honey from the countryside the conventional way, he cultivates his bee farm in and around Bermondsey, just a few metres away from the Shard.
Michel has great appreciation and respect for these craftsmen’s unconventional techniques and their efforts to keep craftsmanship well and alive. To honour them, he invites them to a grand Craftsmen’s Dinner he specifically designed to celebrate all of their produces in a variety of ways. Arriving in Morgan Cars, his very special guests were served with a very special Balvenie whisky to finish off the dinner. Finally, Michel toasted his guests and highlighting the importance of the craftsmen’s dinner and its role in bringing craftsmen together and to recognise, celebrate and value the art of craftsmanship.
“The Craftsmen’s Dinner 2 showcases the values that we cherish at Rogan – a great sense of humour, brilliant characters and a love of craft. We are delighted that it has found such a large audience – it’s a testament to the growing appeal of beautifully made branded entertainment”, says James Rogan the executive producer of the series and creative director of Rogan Productions.
You can watch the entire series here.
