Great British Food, celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal’s latest series for Channel 4, will feature scenes aboard HMS Victory, where he prepared a beef-based recipe in a salty journey back to medieval times

The second episode of the series will be a salty tale: Blumenthal discovers that salt-preserved beef was a vital ration for seamen before the Battle of Trafalgar, using his new-found knowledge to soak four of his own cuts in a specially-created take on salty brine.

Filming took place in the summer, when curators welcomed the Michelin Star winner and his production team. Visiting the poop deck of HMS Victory, he prepared Lobscouse, an old naval traditional dish of the sort used to tempt new recruits to Nelson’s Navy, and learned how beef had earned national adoration by the time of the Napoleonic Wars as part of an exploration of the story of British roast dinners.

Blumenthal’s twist lies in using the salt to maintain the moistness of the meat, adding fresh herbs to give each cut added flavour.

• Heston’s Great British Food starts tonight (December 10 2013) at 9pm. Visit the series online for more.

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