About this season
Ray Mears journeys back in time to find out what our Stone Age ancestors would have eaten. Ray and archaeo-botanist Professor Gordon Hillman show us how our ancestors found, prepared and cooked their food and we learn about the amazingly rich natural larder that still surrounds us.
Episodes (5)
1. Australia
Aired 4 January 2007 • 60 min
In the first programme, Ray travels to the other side of the planet to hear from Australian Aboriginals about what food means to a hunter-gatherer and the role it plays in their culture as well as their society. Along with many other discoveries, the trip sees Ray sample that most iconic of "bush tucker": the witchetty grub, a huge maggot that lives in the roots of the witchetty bush.
2. Coast
Aired 10 January 2007 • 60 min
Ray finds out just what Britain's coast had to offer our ancestors, as he explores the Wild Food that tickled the taste buds of Stone Age man.
3. Wetlands
Aired 17 January 2007 • 60 min
Ray and Professor Gordon Hillman, an expert in the use of plants through the ages, look at the marshes and waterways which our ancestors used for travelling and as an abundant source of food.
4. Summer Harvest
Aired 24 January 2007 • 60 min
Summer Harvest shows that our ancestors would have had access to a wide variety of plant foods, but meat would have been the staple in their diet.
5. Woodland
Aired 31 January 2007 • 60 min
For our ancestors, Autumn would have been the last chance to gather food before winter stole much of it away. Ray travels to the island of Colonsay in Scotland to investigate