The unusual creation of Angel Strawbridge and Dick Cheese Fondue, which they made during Escape to Chateau’s Christmas special episode left viewers puzzled.
The programme follows the ambitious pair as they renovate the 45-bedroom Château-de-la-Motte Husson in France, which they bought in 2014 for £280,000.
Last night’s episode of the Channel 4 show saw Dick, 61, and Angel, 50, who are parents to Arthur, eight, and Dorothy, seven, cooking up a festive meal for their whole family.
Many were confused by the choices of the couple for sides to the fondue, including raw stuffing and sausage meat.
Last night, Escape to the Chateau viewers were stunned when Dick and Angel Strawbridge made a unique cheese fondue in a Christmas episode
One commenter said: “Sausage stuffing inside a fondue?” It’s a recipe for food poisoning. I hope the plumbing works well.
Another writer wrote: “Food poisoning fondue.”
Angel and Dick erected a huge Christmas tree at their Chateau Home during the holiday programme.
They began to think about ways to celebrate the holiday season, and Dick admitted that he was interested in learning more about French customs.
The couple chose to serve fondue with both sausage meat and raw stuffing, which left many people baffled.
They decided to take the family to Alsace for a festive trip, travelling 500 miles east to the medieval town of Colmar.
Everyone was delighted to see Colmar as Christmassy and Dick confessed that it almost seemed like the town was not real.
The family went to dinner at a traditional restaurant, and ordered the fondue vigneronne.
Unlike the typical cheese or oil fondues, the fondue is made with hot white wine, vanilla, cloves and cinnamon and is traditionally served with chicken or turkey as well as sautéed potatoes.
Some viewers were concerned about raw meat being cooked in the fondue. Another wrote it was food poisoning.
Fondue was originally created in old vineyards, where workers used to cook meat and grapes while boiling water.
Dick said, “This wine has very few spices. But, if you can turn it into something Christmas-related, then this would be a great Christmas dinner.”
‘We could prepare in it turkey and goose, small carrots, Brussel sprouts
He set out to transform a Christmas meal into fondue back at the chateau.
Dick and Arthur cooked the unique Christmas meal in the chateau kitchen.
Arthur said that he had made fondue with wine. This one, however, is different. The stock will have wine added to it.
Dick quickly strayed from the traditional fondue and made a fondue with red wine. This gave it a Christmassy, rich flavour.
Arthur began to prepare the meat, which included bacon-wrapped stuffing as well as fillets with beef and turkey that Arthur would dip in the fondue while Arthur cooked the dinner.
All the trimmings, meat, and all other ingredients were to be perfectly cooked in the fondue pan.
Angel set the table and told her parents that she was hosting a Christmas dinner they would not have ever had.
Angel’s father admitted that he hasn’t made fondue in 30 or 40 years. This surprised Angel and his family.
Angel and Dick prepared all of the ingredients for the fondue.
However, many people watching weren’t impressed. One wrote: “This fondue was all a bit too much effort eh?”
Having spent £280,000 on a dilapidated 45-room chateau in France in 2014, replete with moat but devoid of electricity and water, Dick and his wife Angel began the gargantuan task of making it habitable.
The resultant documentary — Channel 4’s Escape To The Chateau (ETTC) — which first aired in 2016 and enraptured the nation in 32 episodes, over seven seasons, has become one of the station’s most popular shows.
It propelled Dick, an engineer and Angel, a designer to stardom.
Their fame has not only allowed them to run a flourishing wedding business from the castle, now worth an estimated £2 million, but led to a merchandising empire.
The couple has also created spin-off lines of home fragrance, flowers and soft furnishings that capitalize on their skill and friendly demeanour.