Strawbridge Over the Drawbridge

Chef James Strawbridge visits Lord and Lady Dunleath at their Ballywalter Park home, hoping to create a menu which both impresses and captures the history and character of the estate.

Arriving by air, James receives a warm Ballywalter welcome from the couple, who take him on a tour of the estate. James discovers tales from the house's rich past including a cricket team captained by a butler, an unusual collection of birds and a poignant scrapbook created by a mother to depict the tragic tale of her son.

Chef James Strawbridge visits Crom Castle – home to Lord and Lady Erne – hoping to create a meal which both impresses his hosts and captures the history and character of the estate.

Arriving by boat at the castle's very own boathouse, James is greeted at Crom's grand entrance by Lord Erne who takes him on a tour. James learns the current Crom Castle is actually the third to exist. He spots a natural wonder more than 10,000 years old and discovers how Lord Erne's family's royal connections run much deeper than having a home designed by an architect who helped design Buckingham Palace.

On Upper Lough Erne, James takes a trip on a unique type of boat – one that's both ferried schoolchildren and smuggled pigs across the border. Back on dry land, he takes a stroll under a pair of unique trees that were once home to lavish picnics and parties.

Taking everything he's learned about Crom Castle's history and character, James devises a meal he hopes will capture both. But will his menu and food impress Lord and Lady Erne – the people who know more about their home than anyone?

Chef James Strawbridge visits Greyabbey House, hoping to create a menu which captures the history and character of the estate and impresses its owners, Bill and Daphne Montgomery.

After arriving by a rather unusual method of transport, James is taken on a tour of Bill and Daphne's magnificent home. James discovers how the Montgomery family were given land in Greyabbey is all down to a large piece of cheese and hears the tale of Bill's unfortunate relative who met a dastardly death at the hands of a pirate.

At the coast nearby, James uncovers how a slippery sea substance was once a major source of income for local workers and landowners, before getting a taste of the stuff harvested fresh from the water.

It isn't all play and no work for James though. After learning everything he can about Greyabbey's past, he has to create a meal which both captures the estate's history and impresses the people who know more about the house than anyone else – its owners.

In Greyabbey's kitchen, James creates a two-course meal for his hosts. Will his risky take on an Italian dessert earn him a ring of approval?