Many a great political deal has been brokered and many a political plot hatched between mouthfuls of food and slugs of alcohol.

Our history is often a history of breakfasts, lunches and dinners between leaders. That's the theme of "Power Eating", a new series about meals that made history first broadcast in May 2005 for The Westminster Hour.

Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev

In the first part, Anne Perkins uncovers what happened over lunch at Chequers when Margaret Thatcher, Iron Lady of the Cold War, first met the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev.

Listen to part one of Power Eating

In the second part, Anne Perkins looks at the fateful dinner in 1925 which convinced the then Chancellor, Winston Churchill, that he should take Britain back onto the gold standard.

Listen to part two of Power Eating

In the final part, Anne Perkins recalls a Summer meal at Chequers in 1969. The Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson had invited trade union leaders for a dinner which was anything but cosy.

Listen to part three of Power Eating