Hello and welcome to the food program. I'm Sheila Dillon. And in this edition, we're exploring

the creativity of chefs, the alchemy they work with raw ingredients, turning them into dishes

that delight. What is it they do? And how is it being affected by the brutal economics of the

restaurant industry these days?

We'll begin in Sam Lomas's little restaurant in Somerset.

We're doing a skewer on the menu at the moment, made from like lamb belly that we braise and then press.

And then during service, flash on the barbecue, kind of glaze it up,, serve it with some yogurt and then like a little barbecued chili salsa.

I'm a fair cook myself, but when I watch a great chef at work like Sam,

I can feel both overwhelmed and mystified at the way they understand flavors and texture,

time, temperature, smells and sound to produce dishes that not only taste good,

but satisfy in a way that my home cooking doesn't approach.

You know, for different programs, I've watched and recorded as Michelle Rue made a souffle,

Angela Hartnutt, a vegetable tart, Sean Hill, a chickpea and olive oil soup. And then I went home and tried to do the

same, but it wasn't at all the same. I was following in their footsteps, but not reaching their goal.

Am I trying to be Picasso after looking at his greatest works? They are creative, I tell myself.

I am not, at least as a cook.

So what is that creativity?

How does it work in the kitchen?

What circumstances make it possible and impossible?

And what was it about young Sam Lois' cooking when I tasted it during lockdown

that made me immediately give his name to producer Sophie Anton when

she suggested a program on creativity. For me, like creativity comes from restrictions, limitations,

...