About
Follows historians and archaeologists as they recreate farm life from the age of the Stuarts. They wear the clothes, eat the food and use the tools, skills and technology of the 1620s.
Cast
Stuart Peachey
as Himself
Ruth Goodman
as Herself
Alex Langlands
as Himself
Peter Ginn
as Himself
Chloe Spencer
as Herself
Owen Teale
as Narrator
Episodes
Season 1
September
Reality series in which archaeologists and historians reconstruct a 17th-century farm and maintain it for a year. Each episode follows a month's progress, as the experts attempt to grow crops and raise livestock using only methods in common practice during the reign of James I. In the first episode, a team of oxen are used to plough the field and the team try to bake bread
October
The pressure of 17th-century living mounts as the farmers race to harvest a crop of pears, and try to build a shelter for the livestock before the weather worsens. A thatcher builds a roof for the cowshed using bracken, and the team drive the pigs into the woods to fatten them up on seeds and nuts. They then reward themselves for their hard work by cooking a traditional meal of spit-roasted mutton
November
Alex Langlands and Peter Ginn make a wattle-and-daub wall for the cowshed, and a slaughterman arrives to kill the male pot-bellied pig. In accordance with 17th-century customs, the women in the group face the task of butchering the carcass - and the team use every part of the animal to create a range of traditional dishes, including hogs' liver pudding and pork sausages
December
The historians and archaeologists try to take time out of their busy farming schedule to celebrate a 17th-century Christmas. They decorate their home with holly, ivy, rosemary and bay, and cut a giant yule log - once the centrepiece of Jacobean festivities. The team then cook a range of seasonal recipes, including mince pies which contain meat, and pease pudding
January
There's little food to be harvested in January, so a meal is created using the ham that's been preserved since Arthur the pig was killed, with pease pudding and whole grains. Meanwhile, Ruth Goodman uses a salve of herbs and animal fat to treat a cut on a patient also suffering with a painful elbow, for which her prescription is sage in oil
February
A storm leaves the toilet damaged, so the team face the unenviable task of building another from scratch, while explaining the unusual ways in which human waste was used in the 17th century. A music specialist brings a collection of period instruments to entertain the farmers by the fire, and Lent heralds yet more culinary challenges
March
Spring arrives, bringing the promise of longer days and respite from the cold weather. The farmers begin to sow seeds and brew beer in preparation for the year ahead - but must first dig up overgrown brambles and weeds. Newborn piglets bring welcome entertainment, and the team try out a dangerously addictive 17th-century gambling game
April
The farmers give the house a spring clean, sweeping the chimney with a holly bush and dusting the place with a goose wing. They also care for a newborn calf, and attempt to build dry stone walls, while on the menu are a range of 17th-century veal dishes and an unusually green omelette
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