Northern Exposure: Poland

Recipes from this episode:

• Bigos stew
• Sweet pierogi
• Vodka strawberry cheesecake
• Mushroom and sauerkraut pierogi
• Polish flatbread

Episode 1 of 6. Si and Dave make sausages in the Polish countryside with a family who have been making them for generations. They visit the home of gingerbread and Copernicus, the astronomer who changed the way we all look at the universe. The boys examine Copernicus's theory and break it down in true bikers' style - using gingerbread.

Both boys are keen to get to know our Polish neighbours better and the fun is mixed with more poignant moments like a visit to the Treblinka Extermination Camp, which has a profound effect on them. Hailing from ship-building communities, Si and Dave can't resist a chance to visit the great shipyards of Gdansk to honour the men and women who stood up to the Soviet regime and helped change the world. They end their journey in the primeval Bialowieza Forest, where they search for the bison grass that flavours the world-famous vodka and cook Poland's national dish, bigos.

The Hairy Bikers' Northern Exposure starts Tuesday 1st September at 8pm on BBC Two.

Selected recipes available from the brand new book, Meat Feasts, available at Amazon, Waterstones and WH Smith.

Find out more and watch available episodes on BBC iPlayer.