Season 1

Guided by food historian Dr Annie Gray and social historian Emma Dabiri, our modern professionals are entering the world of the 16th-century confectioner - a time when sugar was believed to have medicinal qualities and was so valuable it was kept under lock and key.

They discover how the art of the confectioner peaked in the Georgian era as wealthy customers and abundant sugar supplies from the plantations allowed them to experiment with all of the latest fashions from Italy and France.

Four modern-day confectioners use original recipes to recreate a Victorian sweet shop and discover how the quest to satisfy the national sweet tooth transformed Britain.