Leonard Swindley decides to streamline himself for the summer. He gives up Mrs Edgeley's steak and kidney pudding with dumplings but he finds it more difficult to persuade the food-happy Mr Hunt that a diet would be good for him. When Mrs Hunt goes away for the weekend, Swindley tricks Mr Hunt into spending two days at the Hinton Hydro - a health farm. It is not until the following morning at breakfast - a glass of hot water and lemon - that Hunt realises where he is. By nightfall he is at the end of his tether and is resorting to the most underhand methods to satisfy his craving for food by calling Mrs Edgeley and Miss Sinclair on the phone and getting them to smuggle a basket of food over the wall. However they are caught by Miss Buttress, the fearsome trainer in the Spartan establishmen