Ray Mears' Wild Food (on television)

[Jodie]

This looks promising, for BBC2 at some point over week 52 this year or
week 1 next year, but the schedules may change. December seems likely
according to 'digitalspy' and 'thecustard.tv' websites.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk52/factual.shtml

Ray Mears's Wild Food
Factual BBC TWO

"Ray Mears journeys back in time to find out what our Stone Age ancestors
would have eaten, in this major new series for BBC Two.

Today, our bodies are the same as those of our hunter-gatherer ancestors,
but our diets are very different. Microwave meals and fast-food snacks are
light years away from a diet of wilted nettles and berries. In an age where
obesity is a growing problem in Britain, Ray asks if there is something to be
learnt by looking at the diets of our Stone Age ancestors.

Combining archaeological findings from around the world with his own
extensive knowledge of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, Ray pieces together
a picture of our ancestors' diet.

Professor Gordon Hillman, an expert in the use of plants through the ages,
is on hand to shed light on the leaves, roots, berries and nuts that people
would have eaten and to show viewers how they would have cooked them.

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."

Of course, next year I shall be free of my studying and out there doing stuff
myself so won't have the faintest idea what's going on TV-wise

Jo

 

[mrstorey]

Good spot Jodie.

Hmm. One thing does spring to mind...

"In an age where obesity is a growing problem in Britain, Ray asks if there is something to be learnt by looking at the diets of our Stone Age ancestors."

Now I'm not dissing the Mearster, but I can't be the only one thinking "Healer, heal thyself!"

 

[big_swede]

Good spot Jodie.

Hmm. One thing does spring to mind...

"In an age where obesity is a growing problem in Britain, Ray asks if there is something to be learnt by looking at the diets of our Stone Age ancestors."

Now I'm not dissing the Mearster, but I can't be the only one thinking "Healer, heal thyself!"

There is a lot to say about RM, but he's not relly obese, is he? Remember he has to have a survival reserve

 

[madrussian]

My doctor recommended a book called the Paleo Diet. It suggests the same thing, looking at what our ancestors ate. Sounds good, but I'd have to give up to much good food to follow it.

 

[big_swede]

My doctor recommended a book called the Paleo Diet. It suggests the same thing, looking at what our ancestors ate. Sounds good, but I'd have to give up to much good food to follow it.

This is really big here in sweden at the moment. Almost trendy, along with that horrible glycochemical index regime. But the paleolithic sounds nice, a lot of meat

 

[madrussian]

"glycochemical index regime" That does sound horrible. What is it?

 

[Jodie]

Hehe I hope the new series isn't going to spark yet another diet fad for 2007.

It's "glycaemic (or glycemic) index" which is a measure of how quickly
glucose levels are raised in the blood following a meal.
http://www.glycemicindex.com/

The BBC has an audio slideshow of Marcus Harrison of the Wild Food
School in Cornwall - my computer won't let me hear it unfortunately.
Food from the wild
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5339440.stm

 

[madrussian]

Thanks for the links. I was able to hear the audio. I look at wild plants the same way. Though I haven't cooked very many, I know all the edible ones in my area so that when I'm out and about I see food all around me. Just have not had the opportunity to try it out yet. As for the glycochemical index regime, I'm not even going there.

 

[big_swede]

Hehe I hope the new series isn't going to spark yet another diet fad for 2007.

It's "glycaemic (or glycemic) index" which is a measure of how quickly
glucose levels are raised in the blood following a meal.

Thanks for the correction. I will stick to the laymen terms from now on

 

[Singeblister]

Thanks for the heads up I would have missed this other wise

 

[Hellz]

Thanks for finding that, I'd have hated to miss it. I enjoy watching Ray, I like his gentle way of presenting... sort of a Bushcraft David Attenborough...

I'm looking forward to getting the book that will be accompanying the program, even if it's just as an investment

Patrick

 

[Wayland]

It's certainly showing on Thursday 4th Jan at 8.00 so it looks like Thursdays are the nights to watch out for it.

 

[Jodie]

Hellz - I quite agree

There's also this coming up in the new year:

BBC Two series to give UK audiences a taste of tribal life
BBC Two has commissioned a new documentary series in which ordinary
women will be given the opportunity to travel to the remotest parts of the world
and experience life as a tribal woman.

In Woman of the Tribe (working title), six British women will give up their
everyday lives and spend a month living with some of the world's remotest
tribes – in Greenland, Papua New Guinea, Africa, and Northern Mongolia.

The women will act as a 'second wife' by shadowing the tribesman's real wife
in her daily duties.

They will need to work, eat, and sleep exactly as the other tribal women in
order to experience what it is really like to live in the community.

More at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/11_november/09/tribe.shtml

 

[bartjen 2]

thanks for the info, in belgium we can only recieve BBC 2 on cable

 

[Jodie]

It's certainly showing on Thursday 4th Jan at 8.00 so it looks like Thursdays are the nights to watch out for it.

I couldn't find the listings - they were supposed to be published on the BBC site
but are doing a very good job of hiding from me. Perhaps I should have booked
the Wednesday for the talk rather than the Thursday, come to think of it

 

[Galemys]

Ray Mears' Wild Food Ep 2/5
Thursday 11 January
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO

Ray Mears heads for the coast
in his quest for Wild FoodRay Mears finds out just what Britain's coast had to offer our ancestors, as he continues to explore the Wild Food that tickled the taste buds of Stone Age man.
The coastline of Stone Age Britain was rather different than it is today, as Britain was yet to become an island. But, combining archaeological findings with his own extensive knowledge of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, Ray pieces together a picture of the foods it would have offered our ancestors. He discovers a plant that contains more carbohydrates than potatoes and a fruit that has more vitamin C than oranges.
Flint was key in Stone Age technologies and Ray also shows viewers how to recognise a good piece of flint when they see one.

So that´s at least 5 episodes coming our way, this one sounds like good TV!

Tom

 

[Jodie]

Programme One
Ray Mears' Wild Food (1/5)
Thursday 04 January
Australia
8:00pm - 9:00pm
BBC2
VIDEO Plus+: 8891
Subtitles, widescreen

Programme One REPEATED
Ray Mears' Wild Food (1/5)
Sunday 07 January
9:00pm - 10:00pm
BBC2
VIDEO Plus+: 3303
subtitles, widescreen
Details taken from http://www.radiotimes.com

Programme Two
Details as per Galemys' post, also this from the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk2/thu.shtml
Ray Mears' Wild Food (2/5)
Wednesday 10 January (ie, not Thursday by the looks of it!)
Coast
8:00pm - 9:00pm
BBC2
VIDEO Plus+: 1359
Subtitles, widescreen
Ray Mears embarks on a voyage of discovery into the lost foods of Britain's
Stone Age. He tries out the processes they might have used, finds connections
with cultures around the world and tastes the foods of our forefathers, starting
with those resources found near the coast.

Programme ??? repeat???
Ray Mears' Wild Food (2/5)
Saturday 13 January
6:45pm - 7:45pm
BBC2
VIDEO Plus+: 336874
Subtitles, widescreen (it doesn't say that it's a repeat...but probs is)

Programme Three
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/tv/wk3/thu.shtml
Ray Mears' Wild Food Ep 3/5
Thursday 18 January
8.00-8.30pm BBC TWO

Bonus web link I just found on ethnobotany of wild foods:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/research/profiles/smason/smethnob.htm
from a woman who did her PhD on the use of acorns.

This year I am going to spend more time in the Chelsea
Physic Garden and Kew Gardens.
http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/
http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/

A New Year at Kew
Friday 5 January
8:00pm - 8:30pm
BBC2
VIDEO Plus+: 6124
Subtitles, widescreen
- with Alan Titchmarsh and Michael Palin (opening the Alpine House).

I am also the proud owner of Henry Hobhouse's "Seeds of change:
six plants that transformed mankind" which I'm looking forwards to
reading.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seeds-Chang...ef=sr_1_1/203-4095594-2935942?ie=UTF8&s=books

Jo

Edited to add programme 3 details.
Edited to add programme 2 details and to include the date of the Year at
Kew programme (d'oh).

 

[Feygan]

Just seen the tv ad for this and have to say I see where we have all been going wrong. Ray is walking through the woods with a shopping trolley, and there was me always making my baskets and other carriers.

 

[nobby]

Just seen the tv ad for this and have to say I see where we have all been going wrong. Ray is walking through the woods with a shopping trolley, and there was me always making my baskets and other carriers.

Do you make your rucksac, footwear, clothes?
I think that we sometimes forget that there are a lot of advantages to the 21st century. I'd like to nominate the carrier bag and particularly the mid size one from Waterstones.

 

[Mooney]

just thought id give this a bump incase anyone hasnt seen the thread.