When you’re feeling a bit frayed around the edges after a long day at work, there’s no better way to lift the spirits - and tantalise the tastebuds - than a serving of the Hairy Bikers. And the sixth leg of their European baking adventure (Bakeation, BBC2, 8pm, 17 April), didn’t disappoint.

The pair started their Italian bakeation in Venice, where they set up their cooking gear at the canal side and prepared a focaccia that they then had to dash off to a local restaurant to bake as they weren’t actually allowed to cook in the open air - but not before the obligatory whistling of THAT tune to nearby gondoliers.

The end result looked delicious. I wasn’t quite so sure about the pasta pie (essentially macaroni cheese in pastry) - especially as Dave had misread it as containing testicles and unlaid eggs. And the stromboli (American-style rolled up pizza) that the pair made for Si’s sister in Tuscany bore an uncanny resemblance to a hideous dish we used to have at school - although the dinner guests seemed to like it and Dave’s reverie while greasing the tray that it was akin to massaging Isabella Rossellini’s back was hilarious.

But that’s the secret of the Hairy Bikers. They’re not just about the cooking. They’re about the daft banter and dafter descriptions. So chocolate hazelnut spread was “like Nutella on steroids a squirrel’s dream” and egg whites were “stiffer than Shergar’s front paw”.

You can’t help but smile - and most recipes are simple enough to attempt at home. What more could you ask?