Hairy Bikers' Best of British (2011 - 2013)

The Bikers explore how Britain's love affair with bread has evolved over centuries. With their unique banter and camaraderie, the Hairy duo try their hand at bagel making. They also create their own version of the summer pudding and make a delicious soup and roll combo.

At one time, vegetarian food had a poor image. The Bikers explore the history behind the vegetarian society and how the movement has now become part of the mainstream. They also celebrate some of the truly mouthwatering vegetarian dishes on offer.

The Bikers explore the amazing food available in our British waterways. With their unique banter and camaraderie, the hairy duo try their hand at fly-fishing for trout, create a sumptuous stuffed wild duck and find out about how the Gloucestershire tradition of eating baby eels has effectively died out.

The Bikers discover how necessity often forced British cooks to pull out all the stops in an effort to create tasty dishes. In fact some of our favourite meals have been born out of hard times. From tummy fillers like mince and dumplings to hearty scotch broths, when the going gets tough, we often turn to food for comfort.

The Bikers explore how the British have managed to create fantastic food even at times of war, when supplies are often scarce, and how some of Britain's favourite dishes have evolved out of the innovation and spirit of the people who lived through rationing. With their unique banter and camaraderie, the Hairy duo try their hand at rabbit stew and carrot cake, visit HMS Victory to find out what Nelson's men ate at sea and meet the army cooks to learn what troops on the frontline eat today.

The Bikers explore our national love of picnics and everything that goes in it. With their unique banter and camaraderie, the Hairy duo create their ultimate al fresco lunch at Beaufort Polo Club; find out how our summer obsession evolved; celebrate picnic classics such as the cornish pasty and the scotch egg; bake a luxurious dundee cake, and make a country terrine that would play centre stage in any outdoor feast.

The Bikers indulge their foodie passion by creating truly mouthwatering dishes that are extravagant and made of the finest ingredients, proving that the British certainly know how to put on a show - including food. With lobster, truffles, chocolate and the best cuts of meat on offer, the Bikers are going gourmet.

The flavours of the Mediterranean have had a huge influence over modern British cuisine. Brought over at first by the Romans and more recently by hordes of holidaymakers returning from the sun, the range of dishes and ingredients Britain has adopted from the Med are now commonplace on our menus and in our homes. Dave Myers and Si King look at how this has evolved and create their favourite dishes.

Cookery books are a huge business but they are more than just collections of recipes, they are social documents that reveal a great deal about who we are and what we eat. In this programme, the Bikers cook dishes from their favourite cookbooks and also meet food historian Ivan Day, who has one of the world's most extensive historical cookbook collections in the UK. The Bikers also tell the story of some of Britain's most iconic food writers, such as Elizabeth David and Isabella Beeton.

Since early man, humans have survived by foraging food from the land, rivers and seas of Britain. Some of these natural indigenous ingredients can be the basis of spectacular dishes. The Hairy Bikers take to the undergrowth in search of delicious free food.

As an island, Britain is blessed with a plentiful and diverse supply of produce from the sea. The Bikers celebrate our love of fish and shellfish and find out the history of Billingsgate Market.

There was a time when the British pub was pretty much a male-only establishment and food, at best, was a bowl of nuts and some pork scratchings. Today most British pubs depend on the income from food and some dishes have become pub classics. The bikers explore the history behind the boom in pub food and snacks and recreate mouthwatering dishes that would make any publican proud.

The British weather and seasonal change have meant that through time we have had to find ingenious ways to store food for the hungry winter months. The bikers explore how some of our tastiest treats have evolved from a need to preserve.

Whether savoury or sweet, the British love puddings. The hairy duo create some classic puds and explore the history and traditions behind our favourites. There is no point in counting calories with delicious puds but the bikers do try and burn some off when they take part in the world black pudding throwing competition in Lancashire.

Convenience food serves a purpose but if you want something truly delicious it's worth searching out the best ingredients and cooking them to perfection - however long it may take.

The duo explore how our love affair with beer and cider has evolved over centuries - at one time it was safer to drink beer than water. Plus, they visit a cider festival, where they press their own.

The hairy duo find out who ate all the pies on the football pitch and discover the history behind some of the nation's most iconic pies.

The duo explore how Britain's love affair with takeaway food has evolved and cook some of their favourites.

The duo explore how the British love affair with sugar has evolved over centuries. They then try their hand at making their favourite childhood sweets, create their own sweet and sour dish, and make a truly sumptuous cheesecake.

The duo look at the history of food festivals and the food with which the British celebrate them. We certainly love any excuse to put on a spread. Thankfully there are plenty of food festivals in our calendar that allow us to indulge.

For centuries the British have hunted food from the land. The bikers create mouth-watering dishes with rabbit, grouse and venison... Stunning food and fascinating stories told by the culinary duo.

There's nothing like a few spices to liven up mealtimes. The bikers explore the origins of Britain's favourites and visit a chilli festival, with mouth-numbing consequences.

High tea is a truly British invention, and the bikers can't resist a mid-afternoon snack.

There is nothing like a hearty breakfast to start the day, but our morning meal continues to change and evolve through time.

The British have a knack for gardening and through good times and bad our skills at growing veg have inspired some amazing dishes.

The Bikers explore how some of the foodie customs associated with the wedding ceremony have evolved and help prepare a Scottish wedding breakfast. The programme also explores the traditions behind the wedding cake.

The Bikers explore how certain British ingredients combine to make classic pairings. The hairy duo create an amazing pork and apple dish and a mouth-watering pear and stilton tart. The programme also shows how yorkshire pudding would have been made and served in the 1700s and it's not with beef.

The Bikers explore how our love affair with cheese has evolved over centuries. The Hairy duo sample some of Scotland's finest cheeses and discover that the original cheesecake recipes were British, not American.

Th Bikersy explore how certain ingredients and recipes can make you feel good and put a spring back in your step. Whether a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup or a simple fish dish, sometimes the right meal can make all the difference.