Hugh arrives at River Cottage, a former Gamekeeper's cottage in west Dorset. He sets about removing the plants from the garden and starts planting his vegetables.
Hugh's been at the cottage a month, his vegetables have been planted and they are growing nicely.Pike is on the menu today, but he'll have to catch one first. There's also a trip to the local fruit farm for a day's fruit picking with the transient eastern European workforce.
The vegetables are doing so well, Hugh decided to enter them at the Beaminster Show. He also enters the Home Craft section with his own jam and a sponge cake. Then it's off on a fishing trip for spider crabs.
Hugh has discovered that he is not alone at River Cottage, there are mice at the cottage and he wants rid of them - by humane means. There's an early start to try and bag a roebuck and a nostalgic reunion with a childhood hero as he goes in search of prawns.
Hugh decides that the river that give the cottage its name should contribute to his larder. So he has an eel trap made and puts it to use in the river.He also spends the day as a pheasant beater being paid with pheasant not money for his day's work. Then it's a lesson in cider making with the Chiddick Cider Circle. He tests the theory that the cider's purity - despite an alcohol content of 15% - will never result in a hangover.
The day has arrived for Hugh's pigs to go to slaughter. He intends to use "everything but the oink", so enlists the help of Ray and Victor. Then it's party-time to say thank you to everyone who has helped him over the summer.
Join the eccentric household of River Cottage in a special edition for the festive season as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall prepares for Christmas Day. In accordance with River Cottage custom, Hugh turns to the land to provide the Yuletide feast, transforming one of the legs of his pigs into a traditional glazed ham. His mince pies made with real lamb mince, cider-apple brandy butter and marrons glaces are a hit at the local Bridport Farmers' Christmas market.
Having decided to stay at River Cottage rather than return to the city, Hugh is expanding; he's rented a four acre field in which he intends to keep cattle and create Chickenopolis!
The sheep and cattle are settling in, but there is a problem with some of the chickens. They seem reluctant to climb into their new high-rise home, so Hugh decides to sell them at the annual poultry auction.
Hugh's landlord [Anthony Hitchens] is holding the annual mediaeval fair in the garden of his house, Hugh has donated one of the River Cottage pigs to be spit roasted. Hugh also tries his hand at mackrel netting, the traditional Dorset method of catching mackrel and tries to discover the secret ingredient for the local bakers' lardy cake.
Prolonged wet weather has ruined Hugh's chances of gathering a hay harvest this year, blight has struck the tomato crop too, plunging his plans to sell them at the farmers' market into doubt. However, the wet weather means that wild mushrooms are on the menu.
With his entire tomato crop harvested, Hugh has bet Michael Michot that he can earn more money than him at the local farmers' market, despite Michael having three poly-tunnels to Hugh's one. With half of a River Cottage sheep at stake, this calls for a cunning recipe or two, including one for the unripened tomatos. The River Cottage Glutton is launched.
With a failed hay harvest, Hugh must somehow acquire enough hay to feed the animals throughout the winter. His solution? A party, instead of a bring a bottle party, it's bring a bale.
In his third year at River Cottage, Hugh is finally about to see the first birth at River Cottage, but some things take time and a few sleepless nights ensue.Chickenopolis is also extended in readiness for Hugh's quest to breed the "ultimate" roasting chicken.He also travels the 8 miles down the river Brit from River Cottage to the sea by canoe.
Hugh has his eye on the grass carp in Anthony's ornamental lake. He pursuades Anthony to let him catch one and prove it's edible. If he fails, there's a forfeit to pay. Hugh's sheep finally delivers the first River Cottage livestock, but not without a scare for Hugh.
There's plenty of bad news concerning the livestock today: Marge's pregnancy has been greatly exaggerated and the Indian Game cock turns out to be all beak and no trouser. This means that there won't be the beef steer Hugh was expecting and his plans for the "ultimate roasting chicken" have been set back.On the bright side, there's a successful day's work catching cuttlefish and shooting wood pigeon.
After last year's failed hay harvest, Hugh is hoping the good weather will hold out for him to harvest this year's hay. Hugh turns out for the local cricket team and of course, makes a edible contribution to the tea break.
River Cottage is alive to the sound of chirping chicks, after the initial set-back due to the 'under-performing' cockrel. Hugh and Delia are entered in the Oakhampton Show.
Hugh has set his sights on the Vegetable Cup at the Beaminster Show. Covert tactics to observe the competition are undertaken. There's also an opportunity to get some cash out of Devon's tourists with home-made iced-lollies and a blind-folded Hugh is taken to a secret location to hunt for truffles with Delia.
There is a sombre start to the day as one of the sheep has died in the night, the first animal Hugh has lost. An orchard is planted which will give apples all year long and with the help of Victor, Ray and Richard, the "ultimate roasting chicken" is found.
It's Hallowe'en at River Cottage and Hugh is celebrating with the locals and trying his hand at the ancient game of pumpkin fettling. There's also money to be made so Hugh teams up with Michael Michot to sell their chillies in London - the "city of sin".
Hugh looks back on his early days at river cottage offering advice to other as to how to start their own adventures into small holding.
Hugh looks at how he has made the best use of the land that he has.
The story of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's three years as a smallholder in Dorset. He reminisces about his adventures with his pigs - from buying his first pig to training his breeding sow to hunt for truffles.
Good friends and helpful neighbours are an essential part of the rural idyll. Hugh recalls his initiation into the rural Dorset community.
Hugh believes that to achieve a thoroughly good living, you need to be ready to barter and heckle. He charts the rise of his own little enterprise, from the local farmers market to the tough streets of London.
The difference between a vegetable garden and a smallholding is livestock, and every smallholder needs chickens. Hugh recalls his poultry learning curve.
Hugh tells us about some of the local customs he learnt.
Hugh explains how the river and sea offer the free food - from crabs and cuttlefish to eels and pike.
Hugh explains why wild food should be a part of the smallholder's diet.
Hugh decides to continue as a small farmer - but how far should he go?
With 44 acres the farm has 10 times more land than he had at River Cottage, which allows for a lot more veg and livestock than his family needs. With this in mind Hugh is unable to resist the opportunity to expand further. He plans to set up a culinary headquarters, or food outlet, where he can sell his home-grown and home-reared produce direct to the public. Having found a collection of muck ridden and ramshackle barns in which to base his venture however he wonders if this time he's bitten off more than he can chew.
Hugh has taken a lease on some barns near his new farm in Dorset. He plans to turn them into a culinary HQ – a place he can use as an outlet for his home-grown food and for hosting dinners for customers. But the place is still filled with mud and muck. He sets himself a two-week deadline to create a working kitchen and a charming dining room, after which he hopes to kick off with an opening Valentine's Night Special for some of the people who have helped him. To stock up his kitchen he visits Auction houses, ala Bargain Hunt
Hugh's sow, Maggie, is about to give birth to piglets. While he waits for the birth, he must install proper plumbing and loos before he can welcome members of the public to The River Cottage HQ.
Hugh decides its time to start making from this venture and so after selling waffles at the morning market (and doing some Morris dancing) he sets an opening date for River Cottage HQ and starts putting together the 4 course menu. For the starter he arranges for local asparagus to be picked minutes before serving. For the meat course he chooses beef instead of piglet. For the fish course Hugh sets a lobster pot for a monster lobster rumoured to be near a wreck near Lyme Regis but ends up with a Conger Eel instead. Needless to say, this ends up in the pot
Hugh is invited to an Easter Blossom picnic. He has to take something along and for his dish he needs morel mushrooms to make a mushroom and chicken mousse. He also tries his hand at baking bread and helps out at a cider festival. Back at HQ he starts a miniature orchard where all the apple trees are in pots. His tunnels are also up and this should guarantee his supply of fresh veg during the year
Hugh is catering for friends Mark and Candida's wedding. Mark and the boys catch trout and the girls pick gooseberries for their contribution to the feast. Hugh goes hunting for the main course and also starts up his own bee hives.
Hugh has had a bumper tomato crop thanks to his poly tunnels and plans a Tomato Festival. He takes time off from the preparations to go fishing for whelks to see at the Lyme Regis Carnival. There are some new arrivals at HQ - ducks and geese. To keep the foxes away Hugh has to mark his territory! The Tomato festival is a success but Hugh doesn't win the Ketchup competition
Hugh has extracted 11kg of honey from his hive. To prove the quality of the harvest and his skills in the kitchen he enters the bee keeping classes at the Melplash Country Show. Despite burning his fudge and not cooking his cake properly he wins first prize for his honey. Also in the show, he tries to persuade the people of Bridgeport to eat tripe.
Nine months after opening River Cottage HQ Autumn is approaching and Hugh prepares an Autumn Feast. He is fattening up 10 cockerels for main course and for canapes decides on mushrooms. However to find enough mushrooms he takes to the air on a paraglider for a good vantage point. To cook the chicken he has special pots made and fired by a potter.
In this hour-long special "A River Cottage Christmas Feast", Hugh prepares a gluttonous ten-bird roast: a woodcock in a partridge in a pidgeon in a pheasant in a guineafowl in a mallard in a chicken in an Aylesbury duck in a goose in a turkey. Hugh also learns how to build a smoker and makes sausage baubles for the Christmas tree. Then he joins the cider circle for some mulled cider and wassailing in the orchard. The River Cottage H.Q. team is treated to a day of squid fishing. Finally, all of Hugh's friends join him in the medieval-themed feast.
The View From River Cottage reflects on the seven years Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has spent in Dorset, and the many lessons he has learned along the way. Slowly but surely he has gained a whole new outlook on life – a set of principles to grow by, cook by, eat by and even live by The series kicks off by examining the importance of growing your own produce, including the satisfaction of rearing meat and nurturing fruit and vegetables. Part guide to rural living, part best of River Cottage, the series encompasses new links and Hugh’s latest recipes to add an interesting slant to the much loved River Cottage experience.
Hugh looks back at first seven years in Dorset, and all the lessons he has learnt about how to be thrifty on his small holding. From learning to make felt from his sheep’s fleeces to trying to revive traditions of tripe eating at the local farmers market, Hugh’s determined that no part of his precious live stock should ever go to waste. There’re tips too on the art of recycling as we see how Hugh converted the old cow stalls into a highly productive vegetable garden and how to make a traditional cold smoker from an old cider barrel and a few other bits and bobs found lying around the yard.
Continuing his retrospective assessment of the vital elements of rural life, Hugh looks back on his ever-increasing commitment to sourcing his food locally. It is not just about quality and taste, he concludes, the search for the best local food can lead you to all sorts of escapades and adventures. From plundering the sea for whelks to sell on the beach (then dressing up as a lobster for a fancy dress beer race) to recruiting a local biker to help him get asparagus from the ground to his punter’s plates in less than an hour, Hugh shows that it’s the feel good factor that makes local food special and keeps him coming back for more.
This week Hugh looks back at the part played by wild food over six years of Dorset downshifting. From the outset, the hedgerow larder played a vital part in his smallholder experiment, not only topping up his kitchen with a regular supply of free ingredients (from leafy Spring greens like nettles and watercress, to delicious autumn fungi like puffballs and truffles) but also keeping him in tune with the rhythms of the seasons. Whether it’s blackberries from the hedgerow, or fish from the sea, Hugh concludes that “wild food is not just something for nothing. It’s something for everyone.”
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall looks back on his experiences of bagging 'one for the pot' from the rabbits that are eating his lettuces.
In the final programme of this retrospective River Cottage series, Hugh reflects that sharing fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce with both family and friends has become the cornerstone of the River Cottage experience. Whether it's group-netting mackerel the traditional way or promoting Dorset's finest through his very own tomato festival, Hugh has long since been an advocate of the fun and feasting ethos. This week Hugh revisits some of the finest food gatherings; including a blossom party picnic and the annual cider knees-up at the Powerstock festival.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall heads off to Dumfriesshire and Cumbria in search of culinary inspiration and some regional recipes that he can take back home. Hugh throws himself into haggis-hunting in the Borders and char-fishing on Lake Coniston, tirelessly pursues the finest Cumbrian damsons, as well as cooking up all sorts of delicious dishes with the talented regional cooks he meets on his travels.
Hugh heads to the Lake District and into Yorkshire in search of the finest northern tea experience, and snaffles a few good cake recipes to bring back down south. On the way home, he even stops off in Birmingham to investigate the delights of curried goat.
Hugh entertains a group of fast food addicted city folk. With busy lifestyles and no desire to cook, the only solution seems to be buying something from the chinese, kebab or curry houses, which is definitely not the River Cottage philosophy. First up, it’s a group of finger-lickin’ chicken-lovers who are living off takeaways and cheap chicken portions from the supermarket. Hugh’s not afraid to use shock tactics in his mission to change their ways.
This week Hugh is faced with a group of self-confessed ready meal addicts. Carol's a home economics teacher who hasn't cooked a meal for 10 years. Paul's an internet geek who can't boil an egg, Liam's addicted to microwave burgers, Angela won't touch raw meat, and Sheree feeds her kids straight from the microwave.
This week, Hugh comes face to face with the takeaway townies – too lazy to cook, shop or even bung something in the microwave! The gang includes Babs who works as a traffic announcer for a local radio station and between shifts munches on pizza, kebabs and Chinese; Julian’s culinary skills amount to fried egg and toast preferring to use his cookery books to level ladders and Andre, a London taxi driver who prefers to eat his way around the capital and be cooked for by his mum and sister.
Fish is one of the UK's favourite meals and the benefits are widely reported, but diminishing stocks threaten its widespread use. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall embarks on a culinary journey around the British Isles looking for alternative, delicious and sustainable seafood he believes should be on sale, and begins with a visit to the Channel Islands
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall travels to the Hebrides off the coast of Scotland to find out how the sea and the food it produces have shaped life on the islands. In addition to diving, fishing and pulling pots for shellfish and salmon, he tries to take over Skye's chip shop using only the fish he has caught himself
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall returns home to the West Country, where he teams up with the region's most progressive fishermen to investigate commercial developments in sustainable fishing. After battling the elements to net Cornish sardines, he also learns about the vital role of cow dung in fish farming and finds a species that could be seen on plates around the UK - organic carp
As spring peaks, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cooks his way through the crops on offer in this guide to locally produced seasonal food, starting with asparagus, artichokes and lamb.
Hugh's cooking lettuce, spinach, dandelion and burdock and pitting his country honey against the Hackney Bee Boy's city honey at a taste off in Broadway market.
This week Hugh's cooking up some delicious early potatoes, welcoming goats to River Cottage and celebrating the graduation of his butcher's apprentice with a meaty spring barbecue. And, proving beyond all doubt that broad beans really are his very best, most favourite vegetable, he uses them in a whizzy new take on a classic snack with his broad beans on toast
In the final program, spring is poised to turn into summer and the River Cottage team hold a fair with the Bristol families joining them to spit roast spring pigs, lamb and goat.
It's autumn at River Cottage and Hugh's going to get us all eating beetroot. There's duck on the menu too, hatched by Hugh himself as well as some wild birds bagged by hunter-gatherer chef, Tim. We return to Bramble Farm, to see how Hugh's Bristol smallholders are handling their harvest and Hugh travels up North to meet some green fingered guerrillas. "Autumn feels like you've captured the taste of summer and put it on a plate," swoons Hugh. Tuck in.
Autumn's abundant with food and Hugh's in his element. You can hardly get him out of the garden as he surveys the fruits of his summer's labour. It's not just the eating that's got Hugh excited. Like a cheek-stuffed squirrel, he's all geed up over winter storage. "After a long summer of growing and harvesting, there's nothing better than stocking the larder for the winter siege," he says. The autumn abundance is enough to tempt committed carnivore, Hugh, to lay on a slap up vegetarian feast at the River Cottage Canteen. But there's one vegetable that's not invited. Cauliflower. "Dull, dull, dull," moans Hugh.
We're deep into autumn and the harvest has been hearty for Hugh and his faithful River Cottage crew. As a reward for their hard work, Hugh's planning a slap up meal and, to show that you don't need piles of cash to dine like a king, he'll be foraging for all his food.
It's firework time at River Cottage and Hugh's preparing for a Bonfire Night shindig. But before any marshmallows can be toasted there's some hard graft needed, as the team bottle down for winter with some pickles, chutneys and preserves.
This year, River Cottage celebrates a family Christmas with everyone getting involved to make this dinner their very best yet. Hugh challenges his chefs Gill and Tim to help transform the fortunes of the much maligned Brussels sprout by coming up with new recipes and brings out potatoes, onions and parsnips from the autumn stores to make the perfect trimmings.
Hugh has been waxing lyrical about the goodness of home grown grub for years and as summer starts in 2009, he's convinced the tide is starting to turn. "Britain's definitely been bitten by the grow your own bug," grins Hugh. While Hugh's a die hard fan of many a veg patch pleasure, there's one garden goodie that excites him more than most. "If I was only allowed to grow one vegetable to get me through the summer, it would be these guys: peas." For Hugh, peas symbolise the start of summer so he heads to the kitchen with Tim the chef to rustle up tasty pea recipes. That's if there's any left after Hugh's finished scoffing straight from the bowl. Tim's cooking a chilled pea soup served as a shooter with shells and shoots used for good measure. Hugh opts for a pea and pork combo with plain boiled, buttered peas with fried chorizo. "All we've been saying is give peas a chance," grins Hugh.
Hugh wants to run a 'Leftovers Night' at the River Cottage Canteen. Together with chef Tim Maddams they make canapes from leftover fish, gnocchi from roast potatoes and puddings from breadcrumbs.
Hugh is particularly keen on the River Cottage garden, so when he discovers slugs have been gauging on his soft cabbages he plans some drastic action. Can Hugh turn slugs into a culinary hit?
River Cottage is celebrating the strawberry this summer with a massive 500-person strawberry fete. In preparation, Hugh and the River Cottage gardeners plant strawberries in every available space.
Hugh shares some of his favourite summer recipes. Among the delights on offer in this hour of foodie fun is a delicious Bloody Mary burger, complete with vodka, and a mouth watering salad of beetroot, red currant and goats cheese. There's also plenty of fun with the River Cottage gang, as Hugh throws a sheep shearing party, and opens up Park Farm to hundreds of foodie fans for a day-long strawberry fair, featuring strawberry cocktails made with the sparkling gorse wine he and resident forager John Wright found in the River Cottage gorse bushes.
Winters On The Way as we return to River Cottage to join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall growing rearing fishing and foraging for an array of winter treats. With his produce he hopes to turn this traditionally chilly season into the warmest of the year. Hugh lives in cider country which presents a problem when it comes to one of his favourite fruits the pear. As well as eating and cooking with pears he would like to enjoy them brewed as an alcohol or Perry. Hugh travels to Gloucestershire where David Kaspar is still making this traditional tipple. Catching fish is one of Hughs great passions. Be it line or fly fishing potting or scuba diving hes tried a whole range of intriguing ways to sustainably gather the fruits of the sea. However there is one technique he has not tried out and that is professional free diving. After a crash course in holding huge breaths underwater he takes to the open sea to try and bag the ultimate of shellfish scallops. Hugh prepares some comforting wintery dishes including a mixed mushroom tart with fungi picked fresh from the forest scallops from the sea with mushy squash and bacon hot ham hock and split pea soup and pot au feu.
Based on the nibbled nature of his vandalised veg, Hugh suspects robbers of the rabbit kind. But in order to get incontrovertible proof he'll have to rely on Pumpkin Cam.
With winter just around the corner, Hugh turns to his garden for inspiration and decides to turn the heat up with a 200 person chilli-and-pumpkin party. Fast food and Hugh do not traditionally go hand in hand, but there is one exception: the Findus Crispy Pancake that he so adored as a youngster. Hugh and River Cottage chefs, Gill Mellow and Tim Maddams, take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to resurrect and refashion a childhood favourite, but with fantastic fresh ingredients including smoked pollack, bacon, cheese and sweetcorn. Hugh travels to Cornwall to join a group of fisherman who have found a sustainable and lucrative market in line caught squid fishing After an early morning at sea Hugh cooks some deep fried salt and pepper squid, with a sweet chilli dipping sauce, before the rest of their catch travels to London's sushi restaurants
With Christmas around the corner, Hugh has a plan. Instead of giving shop-bought boxes of chocolate goodies this Christmas, he decides to make his own, conjuring up a tray of lip-smacking chocolate brownies that take ten minutes to prepare and two minutes to wrap. Hugh's slaughtered steer has now been hanging for a month. Butcher Ray Smith and Hugh set to work extracting cuts for a party Hugh is throwing: the pair can't resist making beefy canapés of biltong and pastrami. Hugh's valiant attempts to get wild rabbits back on to the British menu continues as he targets the notoriously awkward teenage demographic. Armed with deep fried rabbit legs, a mayonnaise dip and hot rabbit buns he heads to an Exeter nightclub. Hugh also hunts for the blewitt mushroom and tries to catch herring for the first time. Meanwhile, out of the River Cottage garden Hugh harvests a winter salad, to which he adds roasted Jerusalem artichoke, goat's cheese and hazelnuts for a light but mouth-watering lunch.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall rounds up some of his favourite autumnal foods, including passata, chorizo, marshmallows and nettle beer. He also throws a bonfire night party.
To celebrate a bumper year at River Cottage, Hugh has some of his food heroes round for a fabulous four course dinner including rare mushrooms, ten bird spit roast and the ultimate sponge…
Hugh believes the way to make organic free range meat fit your budget, is to eat and enjoy cheap cuts rather than cheap meat.
Hugh takes on the challenge of converting a house full of student girls to the delights of fresh fish with dishes ranging from marvellous mussels to tempting Thai fish curries.
Hugh tries to win over the shoppers of Bridport to the delights of crudités, and persuade some of Poole's fire fighters to go vegetarian.
With fruit sales falling in the UK, Hugh heads off to a typical suburban street to see if he can get people excited again by nature's original sweet treats, from Eton Mess to lollies.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall sets out to prove that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. He visits a school to demonstrate how to make pancakes and drop scones, and heads to Bristol's main train station to show commuters how to start the day in style. A special canteen event also showcases a reinvention of the full English breakfast, featuring mushroom soup with brown sauce and bacon rind, and builder's tea granita.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall rejuvenates the working-week lunch, creating the ultimate cheese sandwich with the help of his chefs Gill and Tim, and encouraging staff at a Bristol office to embrace the best in DIY lunchboxes. He also whips up hummus, a home-made pasty and healthy instant noodle snacks, before turning his attention to the perfect Saturday picnic.
Hugh makes bread, all kinds of loaves, from simple white to tangy sourdough, and cheese and Guinness stuffed soda breads.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall turns his attention to treats, with recipes for Genoese sponge cake and lemon curd muffins, game pies, cheesy tarts and real ginger beer. As well as revamping afternoon tea for the Bridport Tea Dance, there is a visit to a pub that features a pudding league, and Hugh's son Oscar is inspired to create a vanilla and elderflower panna cotta.
In an evening of traditional festive British foods, look out for luxuriously rich Christmas bread, Hugh’s take on a sweet chutney, a trio of recipes for that wonderful winter root celeriac, tips on filling the perfect homemade hamper, and some deliciously different ways to stuff a roast goose. All that plus a festive foraged cocktail, a gingerbread house competition, a caroling Christmas party and hangover cures!
In this first episode, Hugh makes peace with the pigs, and says goodbye to bacon sandwiches, and instead heads into the River Cottage vegetable garden to see what green summer vegetables he can get his hands on to set him on his way. A classic summer garden soup is a sure fire winner.
This second programme is all about the garden. Hugh and the garden team revel in the first sweet roots of summer - delicious whether snaffled down raw in the veg patch or cooked up into dishes like a glorious beetroot tarte tatin.
Hugh prepares to cook a meat-free feast. But he faces a battle with the slugs who are tucking into his vegetable patch with vigour! Catering for a wedding party, Hugh has convinced the couple, Louise and Phil, to have a vegetable banquet. Hugh visits Jagdish Ghelani, owner of Indigo restaurant in Leicester, who regularly prepares south Indian speciality feasts for over 450 people. Back at River Cottage Hugh begins perfecting his curries with a fresh homemade aubergine and bean curry. He also knocks up some stuffed courgette flowers.
Hugh's commitment to a summer without flesh takes a hit when he joins a fishing trip and has to pass up the fresh mackerel sushi. So he visits Sachiko in Birmingham, where a Japanese chef introduces him to the vegetarian ways of Buddhist monks, and cooking techniques entirely dedicated to wowing the palate out of any yearning for meat or fish. Back on track, Hugh plunges back into traditional English summertime and prepares a full cricket tea without a pork pie in sight.
Hugh immerses himself in the pleasures of wild swimming with vegetarian triathlete Colin. Meanwhile, Tim and James go head to head in the kitchen with a summer veg showdown. Colin Hill has swum the English Channel, the Bosphorus and the Hellespont, and he puts pay to any suspicion that a meat-free diet lacks power. But his pasta-heavy diet lacks imagination - pasta and ketchup, anyone? So Hugh whips up some delicious carb-loading dishes that provide plenty of flavour as well as energy. Hugh also makes a campfire lunch for a team working with heavy horses to clear a forest. Tim and James make a saffron speltotto and the classic melanzane parmigiana.
Hugh is well into his summer without meat. But even though he's turned veggie, life goes on - and it's time to take two of the River Cottage sheep to slaughter. But Hugh now reckons when it comes to cheap delicious seasonal food, vegetables can't be beaten. To prove his point he accepts a challenge thrown down by the landlady at a local pub to try and wow customers with his veggie treats, including golden squashes and pea and mint ice cream.
Hugh has spent the summer dedicating his time and attention to vegetables. In this final episode his experiment of not eating meat ends, and it's fish he first turns back to. Still keen to share the vegetable love, Hugh invites a group of local children who hate veg to join him in the garden, and attempts to win them over with pizzas and garlic butter. And James at the River Cottage restaurant cooks a mouth-watering pumpkin and blue cheese pastie.
After a summer of eating veg, Hugh is ready to celebrate Christmas with a renewed sense of the value of meat - but also the wonders of seasonal vegetables. This year all the meat comes from the most extensively-living, free-ranging animals of them all - wild game - and more specifically those that are viewed by many people as pests.The River Cottage chefs sharpen their knives in pursuit of wild boar, muntjack deer and greylag geese. Head gardener Mark Diacono and Hugh seek to make the most of their veg patch, even in the depths of winter, unearthing some Christmas favourites, as well as some heritage varieties from off the beaten path. Forager John Wright teams up with Pam 'the Jam' Corbin to make some luxury stocking fillers. And the Canteen hosts a `12 Tasters of Christmas' night, packed with ideas to create an array of canapes and little bites, perfect for that festive drinks party.
Hugh goes to London to meet professional chef David and family and to become inspired by the array of flavours that vegetables offer, from a Thai salad to a nut, cumin and orange salad. And Hugh sets out to see if bacon-loving workmen can be tempted by a meat-free midday meal.
Veg hero Jagdish Ghelani helps Hugh bring an extra dimension to his culinary curry efforts, introducing him to veg pakoras and dosas, and even the ultimate curry in a hurry.
Hugh takes veggie living to the extreme, discovering the world of 'raw food' with chef's Chris Massamba and Laura Coxeter, including a raw chocolate cake made with avocado!
Hugh cooks up a storm for a (mostly vegetarian) wild swimming team. From the ultimate power-packing pesto, pasta and potato salad to a big hearty stew, Hugh's found his new role - club cook.
Hugh discovers new cooking techniques from Sachiko Saeki and her husband Pak Keung Wan, which inspire him to turn his runner beans in to Japanese pickles and tempting tempura dishes.
Hugh's summer of vegetarianism presents him with a challenge: should he serve meat at the annual River Cottage BBQ? He sticks to his guns and dishes up a spelt, potato and carrot salad.
To make the most of his summer as a vegetarian, Hugh turns to his love of foraging to provide some interestingly different edible options, from searching the rock pools for dulse seaweed to shimmying up a monkey puzzle tree for a never-before-tried taste of their nuts - which ultimately end up being perfect in a risotto.
Inspired by his summer of vegetarianism, Hugh has set himself the mission to spread the word that meat-free meals can be for everyone. But the carnivorous customers at the Fox and Hound pub are proud of their meat-filled main courses... What will the locals think when Hugh puts on a veg-only night? Will his spicy pakoras and mushroom stews be enough to win them over, or will he be left with egg on his face?
With the River Cottage team already making the most of all types of cheese to flavour their veg dishes - from Hugh's Easy Peasy Cheesy pasta to cheese and broad bean brochettes and cheese fritattas - Canteen Head Chef Tim faces a cook-off competition to persuade the rest of his staff to get on the meat-free bandwagon.
It's the River Cottage team's turn to provide the tea for their annual cricket match against their local rivals. But Hugh has banished the pork pies, ham sandwiches and luncheon meat, requiring some creative, and high-scoring, efforts in the kitchen to win over the opposition. Hugh, Tim and Gill get together for some collaborative sandwich-making and experiment with post-match veggie cocktails.
This could be Hugh's biggest challenge yet; convincing kids to eat their greens! Hugh's secret tips include wood-fired pizzas and garlic butter, and he even has something up his sleeve for getting people to eat the ultimate 'love it or hate it' veg; Christmas sprouts.
Will the celebration go to plan when guests discover that instead of the traditional spit-roast, Hugh is serving a complete wedding breakfast with no meat?
Hugh finds out if a veggie lunch can keep the garden team as full and satisfied as they usually are with their bacon sandwiches, and James makes the ultimate cheese and pumpkin pastie.
At the end of his summer of vegetarianism, Hugh throws a River Cottage thank you dinner before setting out to catch his first bite of fishy flesh in four months.
In this special episode of River Cottage, three famous actors swap the stage for the kitchen, and fancy shoes for wellies, to join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in a cookery master class at River Cottage farm. Taking part are Philip Glenister, from Ashes To Ashes, Keeley Hawes, and The Good Life's Felicity Kendal - the original poster girl for smallholders throughout the land. Over two days of good cooking and fun on the farm, Hugh introduces his famous trio to the ways of River Cottage, the importance of seasonal, ethical produce, and the delights of home-grown, home-cooked food. There will be fun, fishing, foraging and tasty food - from delicious chocolate cakes to soups with an extra zing.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is joined at River Cottage by three comedians, Robert Webb, Lee Mack and Ruby Wax. Can two days of classes whip them into shape as serious chefs? Robert, Lee and Ruby might be funny people, but sadly their cooking skills are equally laughable. Lee and Robert are thrown in the deep end and left to knock up a kedgeree for Hugh. Lee teams up with Ruby for a bit of competitive cake cooking, before all three comedians go head-to-head in a sausage making challenge. Ruby also makes a foragers cocktail after a field session with wild-gathering guru John Wright. And then the three larks are required to get serious and make a three course meal for the River Cottage Team. But will it win Hugh and his chefs' seal of approval?
Hugh welcomes comedy actors Kathy Burke, Stephen Mangan and Mark Heap to River Cottage. What could possibly go wrong? Kathy hates Christmas; so it'll be down to Stephen and Mark to help Hugh to talk her round. Hugh takes Kathy out on a fishing trip to catch an alternative Christmas day main course - perfect for non-meat eaters like her, or anyone fancying a change from the boring bird. Resident forager John Wright heads to the woods in search of wild mushrooms and oak moss for a surprising seasonal starter; and Hugh's ever-dependable chefs, Tim and Gill, show how to make Christmas cocktails, festive breads and tasty trays of veg. All that and cake, a chocolate truffle challenge and milking the goats.
Hugh kicks off the series with a surprising cooking demonstration - but will his guests buy into strawberries in a savoury dish?
The River Cottage gang give sports day food a fruity twist with blueberry coronation chicken. Hugh also revives the coal miner's classic - a two course pasty containing meat and pudding.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall takes on a pizza challenge: can he get his pear and stilton pizzas past the 'meat feast' lovers at the local pub?
As summer turns to autumn, Hugh's serving up some classic dishes, including plum compote, a fancy plum Waldorf salad and some fruity flapjacks that revive some bananas past their best.
Hugh and the River Cottage team offer not only a thorough grounding in the delights of small scale pig-keeping, but also a complete guide to butchering and processing a pig, from nose to tail. It includes full instructions for making your own hams, bacon and sausages, and much more besides. You don't have to be a pig-keeper to enjoy this package - just a pig enthusiast," says Hugh. "Anyone who likes pigs and pork, and wants to find out how and why the best pork comes from the happiest pigs, will get a great deal out of it," he adds. Here at River Cottage HQ, we are passionate about Pigs. They are the most charming of all our domesticated livestock, arguably the most delicious, and certainly the most versatile.
Join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they head out into the British countryside in search of tasty wild mushrooms. The programme offers advice and instruction on what to pick and what to avoid; plus a great selection of recipes and ideas so you can get the most out of nature's vast array of fungal flavours.
Join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they introduce you to the joys of baking homemade bread. The programme offers advice and instruction in preparing your own wild yeast 'starter' and using it to make sourdough; plus a great selection of recipes and ideas, from amazing parsnip and cheese loaf to perfect bread sauce and a summer pudding.
Join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they head off into the woods and fields of Britain to explore our best game and edible vermin. The programme offers advice and instruction in preparing your own wild meat; plus a great selection of recipes and ideas.
Join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they take to the coastline in search of the freshest foraged ingredients. The programme offers advice and instruction in preparing your molluscs, crustaceans, and edible plants; plus a great selection of recipes and ideas.
Join Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they take to the high seas in search of a good catch. The programme offers advice and instruction in preparing your fresh fish from scratch; plus a great selection recipes and ideas, from mackerel sashimi to sea bass baked in a salt crust.
Join foraging expert John Wright and the team at Channel 4's popular series RIVER COTTAGE, as they head out into the British countryside to explore the best of the nations edible hedgerow. The programme offers advice and instruction on what to pick and what to avoid; plus a great selection of recipes and ideas.
Join Pam Corbin, the Queen of Preserves, for a one-on-one lesson in mastering the alchemy of making and bottling your very own preserves. After watching this film youll be armed with everything you need to know to make sure your breakfast bread and tea times scones never have to be sullied by cheap shop bought jams again. For any season and every taste there's a sweet preserve to please you, from rhubarb jam to gooseberry jam, from a thrifty waste-not-want-not compost jelly, to, of course, the classic Seville orange marmalade. But there's much more than just jams to enjoy, as Pam shows you how to make everything from fruit cheeses and curds to fruit liqueurs and leathers. And for all the veg growers and lovers out there, Pam reveals some of her favourite chutney and pickle recipes to preserve any glut of greens. Featuring loads of new recipes and some of the best of Pam and Hughs jammy adventures from previous series.
Featuring loads of new recipes and some of our cake-making adventures from previous series, this DVD is a must for any fan of cakes or River Cottage, as Pam s patient guidance will help you discover the joys of jammy dodgers, the simplicity of scones and the delight of lemon drizzle.
Channel 4 News presenters and River Cottage get jumbled as part of a unique evening of entertaiment to celebrate 30 years of Channel 4.
