Escape to River Cottage

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's dream of escaping the city sprawl with all its stresses and downshifting into rural Dorset is finally realised when he arrives at River Cottage in his 1960s Ford Corsair convertible. His year-long experiment, living off the fat of the land, and the sweat of his brow, involves a steep learning curve…and a lot of fun! Wrestling... More »

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's dream of escaping the city sprawl with all its stresses and downshifting into rural Dorset is finally realised when he arrives at River Cottage in his 1960s Ford Corsair convertible. His year-long experiment, living off the fat of the land, and the sweat of his brow, involves a steep learning curve…and a lot of fun! Wrestling with free-spirited piglets, waking in the dead of night to protect his vegetable garden from a slug attack, and making cider from a windfall of apples all involve plenty of help from his friends and neighbours.

Episode 1
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has arrived at River Cottage and his new life as a small holder, living off the fat of the land, lies before him. But first there has to be some changes… What doesn’t put food on the table has to go. Hugh rips up the blooming flowerbeds and lays old railway sleepers as the foundations for his new vegetable garden. He visits local vegetable guru, Michael Michaud, whose organic farming proves an inspiration.

Episode 2
Hugh had thought his downshifting was progressing nicely. But his daily garden check reveals a pesky garden pest. The jam season is approaching, but sadly Hugh’s blackberry harvest isn’t exactly fruitful. And Hugh decides to expand the River Cottage livestock, but foxy concerns about his new chicken run send him to a fellow small holder for a lesson in foul play.

Episode 3
It is summer at River Cottage. The livestock and vegetables are thriving. With so many small-holdings in Dorset things can get a bit competitive and Hugh has decided to enter The Beaminster Horticultural Society’s annual competition. Hugh then heads to the coast to check out the amazing mating spider crabs which could make a tasty treat.

Episode 4
Hugh’s garden pest problems are now being rivalled inside the Cottage, with an infestation of mice! Desperate measures call for unusual powers of persuasion so Hugh calls in vegan mouse charmers. Then it’s a trip down memory lane as Hugh catches up with local schoolmaster Mr Cheeseman, who kept a fishing boat in the bay Hugh used to play in with his childhood pals.

Episode 5
It’s Eel migration season and Hugh meets up with local basket maker to try his hand at creating an eel trap. He then joins The Chideock Cider Circle for the September harvest in return for a taste of their infamous brew. And another autumn treat is in store for Hugh as he joins a group of beaters on a nearby pheasant shoot.

Episode 6
It’s six months since Hugh arrived at River Cottage. His pigs are now ready for slaughter and Hugh intends to have a pork party to pay his new neighbours back for their friendship and invaluable help. Once the guests arrive everyone gets on famously. In fact Hugh enjoys the good life so much that he is debating whether or not to stay a little longer…

Christmas at River cottage
Hugh is preparing for his first Christmas at River Cottage. He’s decorated the bay leaf tree with fairy lights, harvested the sprouts from the vegetable garden and his Gloucester Old Spot pig is now a festive ham.
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