Hairy Bikers roll into Fife with winning recipe to end UK tour

The Hairy Bikers are on a nationwide tour, taking in over 36 dates across the country with the final show taking place at The Alhambra in Dunfermline on Monday, April 8.

An Evening With The Hairy Bikers has been billed as an “epic night of cooking and conversation”.

The big hearted, down-to-earth duo have been cooking together for more than 20 years and remain as passionate about good food as ever.

They have created haute cuisine with Michelin-starred chefs and travelled the world in the pursuit of tasty dishes.

They’ve also explored the length and breadth of the British Isles to discover brand new recipes and create their own fresh takes on cooking classics.

As well as being the stars of several hit television shows, The Hairy Bikers have also written over 20 books to date.

Their latest offering – The Hairy Bikers’ British Classics, published in November last year – features over 100 recipes celebrating timeless cooking and the nation’s favourite dishes.

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Dave explained what audiences can expect from their visit to Dunfermline.

“We have been doing The Hairy Bikers since 2004, so there have been a lot of stories since then,” he said.

“Like we did last time, there will be some cooking on stage – it’s a bit like ‘all round to our house for a night in’.

“We have a dining room where we feed people and it’s very much driven by the audience.

“The last time we were at the Alhambra we had such a good time we thought it would be a fitting place to finish the show – it’s the last one in the run, so, somewhere in Dunfermline, we will be having our wrap party as well! The Alhambra is a stunning theatre.”

Dave said in the first half of the show they serve beer and wine: “It’s kinda like beer and five hors d’oeuvres we do.

“We won’t reveal exactly what because people have to come along to find out, but we do the five hors d’oeuvres and beer and then the two people who are on stage with us in the first half have their beer topped up and they are part of the show.”

In the second half, Si said: “It’s exactly the same as the first half ,but we get two people up on stage and we cook them a main course and a dessert.

“We have a vegetarian option and there is a choice of red or white wine. The recipes are included in the programme and it’s what we cook on stage every night.”

When asked what their favourite recipes are from their latest book, both Si and Dave said there were loads, and too many to choose from.

Dave said: “The good thing is we are a multi-cultural society so there are recipes from all around the world. One thing I love is our Bengali fish curry, which, in my mind, is a British classic as much as our mini toad in the holes, which are very good.

“It’s like baked onions and sausage balls, they are pretty epic. There is a lovely cobbler in there as well, and some cakes.

“It’s a really good, broad cookbook and I genuinely believe there is something for everyone in there. It’s like our greatest hits but they have all been digitally remastered!

“We haven’t just bundled together a load of old recipes and put them out, we have reworked our favourites so they are all fresh.”

The duo said it was really hard to choose which recipes to include in British Classics.

“If we had everything in it then the book would have been four times the size,” Si said.

“We had to whittle it down, we really did. It’s just our absolute, absolute favourites to give an overview of what we have done over the past 20 years.

“The Lancashire hotpot is a true British classic, but, on the other hand, anybody who has ever been to Ikea 
will have had its meatballs so I believe the Ikea meatballs are a British classic, and we have our own version in there.”

Si believes that encouraging people to do basic cooking is very important: “It’s part of our food heritage and it is part of the identity that you are as a nation.”

Dave continued: “A lot of the recipes aren’t that simple but it’s good home cooking.

“It’s not like we have gone back to cookery for beginners. There is something for everybody in that book.”

He said the Scottish food scene had changed dramatically in the last 20 years and that Scotland has influenced some of their recipes, especially a lot of the game dishes and the fresh dishes.

“When I lived in Huntly in Aberdeenshire I used to take the white fish I’d get down to Si in Newcastle.

“Some of the Scottish chefs are using mushrooms that are reflective of the landscape, and the purity of the food is fantastic.

“Around Edinburgh you have chefs like Tom Kitchin, absolutely stunning chefs, world-class.

“But, with the Scots, there is always a hearty love of having good food.”

When asked what their personal favourite dishes are, Si and Dave said they both loved seafood.

And they are both very much looking forward to coming to Dunfermline .

“The Scots are always up for a good night out and that’s what it’s about,” said Dave.

“The Alhambra is our last night and we want to have an absolute ball that night,” added Si, “so come on Scotland ,we need you to get out there.”

○Tickets for the show are available from www.alhambradunfermline.com