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Food writer and restaurateur Simon Wright explores the social history of Welsh food and drink, revealing the undiscovered riches of our culinary culture and inspiring others to try it. Taking a single theme in each programme, he journeys from the past to the present, examining how the Welsh have produced, cooked, eaten and related to food and drink and surveys the most interesting developments in the current culinary scene.

In this first programme of the new series he explores the story of seaweed in a Welsh context. Trawling through the archive, he discovers the rich history of laverbread production and how this dish of boiled seaweed has progressed from family fare sold in Welsh markets to a culinary delicacy served at top restaurants.

Simon also explores how we have moved beyond this iconic Welsh dish to give other types of seaweed a contemporary twist. He meets Jonathan Williams of the Pembrokeshire Beachfood Company to discuss Jonathan’s innovative approach to seaweed and how customers respond to his recipes at the coastal Cafe Mor.

He visits Selwyn’s Seaweed and discovers how a family firm that has farmed seaweed in Penclawdd for generations has found a new market for it through its production of nutritious seaweed snacks – championed by Jamie Oliver and food critic Tom Barker-Bowles.

And finally Simon does some coastal foraging of his own, challenging top Welsh chef Scott Davies to concoct a special dish with the fruits of his labours. But has Simon’s rummaging among the rockpools produced the right kind of seaweed for a delicious meal...