Rick Stein's Long Weekends

Rick heads to his favourite French town, Bordeaux, on an autumn long weekend. He stands in as a judge in a wine contest, and prepares steak frites with bordelaise sauce.

Rick retreats to Reykjavik over the winter to search for the perfect cod. He also tastes a succulent roast lamb, which was reared on the fjord.

Rick spends a weekend in Berlin, where ominous history co-exists with the avant garde. He explores the food being prepared by innovative chefs, who focus on seasonal produce.

Rick takes a trip to Vienna, which was once the centre of the Austro-Hungarian empire. He samples classic comfort food dishes such as goulash, tafelspitz, and wiener schnitzel.

Rick spends a weekend in Bologna, which is located in Northern Italy. He is taught to make egg pasta, and tastes stuffed rabbit with Parma ham and parmesan frittata.

Rick Stein visits Lisbon on the banks of the River Tagus, a city in love with its seafood and possibly the best custard tarts in the world. The culinary effects of Portugal's historic explorations are still seen in its dishes with hints of cinnamon and freshly chopped coriander from the east, and tomatoes and chillies from the Americas.