Last week I lamented the fact that the first in the new series of Supersizers, while an entertaining nostalgia trip, didn’t really go far back enough in time to cover anything of culinary interest (it was the 80s in case you missed it and the costumes and haircuts were far more interesting than the Pot Noodles and microwave meals Giles Coren and Sue Perkins tucked in to. The good news is that on this week’s show they redressed the balance, going all the way back in time to the medieval era – let’s face it, in food terms you couldn’t go back much further if you tried (unless they fancied sampling a biblical or Stone Age diet, neither of which sound an entirely appealing basis for a whole show). This of course led to even more silly costumes – chain mail in abundance, pointy hats et al – but there was something strangely compelling about the meals which were being dished up, even if they did err on the side of gross at times.

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A good friend of mine once informed me of a medieval dish which involves stuffing a chicken inside a goose inside a turkey inside a duck – or words to that effect, it involved a lot of birds anyway – and even if there didn’t appear to be anything as complex on Supersizers, there were certainly some interesting choices on the menu. Of course if you’re vegetarian then the medieval era wouldn’t hae been a good time in which to live, since most of it was meat,meat meat and more meat – and teetotallers might also have found themselves thirsty given that medieval ale seemed to be the one and only drink on offer.

Still, quite a lot of the food was rather appetising, with certain reservations – turkey, for example, was delivered to the table intact, head, beak and all (it’s enough to put one off Christmas dinner for life). But it was interesting to see just how much 21st Century grub has its roots in medieval times. For example Giles experienced a ‘crusader’s feast’ consisting largely of fruity, spicy Middle Eastern tagines, of the sort you might find every night of the week down London’s Edgware Road. The fondness for spices and other exotic delicacies at that time certainly made medieval eating a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. Not that I am planning to swap my own diet for that one any time soon.

Meanwhile there were other tasks to master;Giles took up jousting, Sue sat at home doing very little (such was the lot of the medieval woman) and there was lots of mumbo-jumbo about absolving sins and the like (although Giles’ early morning pick me up of flower-filled face wash and some drink or other with a stick of rhubard shoved in the top was perhaps taking things a bit too far).

It all culminated in a lavish banquet at which our intrepid duo had the chance to try such delicacies as peacock (sorry but they look much nicer walking around with the feathers on, thanks) and all manner of bizarre treats were brought to the table to entertain their guests (my personal favourite being the green ‘spinach’ jelly in the shape of a big wobbly dessert). Yes, indeed,it was all very weird. But as history lessons go, this one was quite fascinating.

And next week it’s back to the 50s. Can’t wait to see what they come up with.