We may not give much thought to the boxes in our freezers and the dried goods on our shelves. Yet behind the story of food preservation is the history of civilisation itself - a fascinating blend of social history, popular science and man's ongoing curiosity and ingenuity when it comes to food.

From Francis Bacon, who died trying to freeze a chicken, to Attila the Hun, who 'gallop cured' his meat by storing it under his horse's saddle as he rode, history is littered with wonderful stories of those who have contributed to our knowledge. And there have also been some notable mistakes. In 1800, archaeologists in Egypt discovered and consumed a jar of honey, still edible after thousands of years, only to find at the bottom the preserved body of a dead baby, which had been embalmed in honey...!