River Cottage

Aidric

Any other fans of this series out there? It's one of the few shows I make an effort to tune in to these days.

Tannylan

Its Pretty good Alrite

niceirishfella

Yeah, i like hugh. I've followed his shows from a cook on the wild side right up to date.

yurmothrintites

Ya I like it as well. I like it's rustic cooking and it's quite funny really. Watching it right now actually!

Nerin

Followed it for ages. Love it

sweetie

got into it earlier in the year and have pretty much seen everything he's done now as discovery and more4 has repeated it all. Legend! My fave tv chef. Jamie is just too much of a goodie.

IanCurtis

PS> Channel4.com has got River Cottage on it's rather briliant catch-up website!

Escapism at it's best

themadchef

He's very good fun to watch as not everything turns out picture perfect. He's practical and obvioulsy loves real home cooked food. Not fancy schmancy loads of "never use again" ingredients in the kitchen press.

I love the old episodes of river cottage, trying to get the hens in the pen, the "oh god the cow's not pregnant wtf am i going to do now" episode . The whole self sufficiency of it all, the sharing between neighours and the parties... they always looked like great craic.

so big thumbs up from me for Hugh!

elshambo

I saw last week where some of the people who he got growing veg STILL didnt eat any of it cause they were yucky
Wouldnt mind if they were 6-10 (most of have been there:o) but a 16yr old getting sick cause they put a veg in their mouth is classy!:D

The sheffield lot scrumping was deadly, pity they were hippies:D

brianthebard

elshambo wrote: »

The sheffield lot scrumping was deadly, pity they were hippies:D

There's a scarily ominous class system lurking behind this programme, I really like his principles of good farming and produce, but...

elshambo

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a scarily ominous class system lurking behind this programme, I really like his principles of good farming and produce, but...

Yup yup

Listen peasant, eat pheasant!


My own personal fav was a Jamie Oliver prog about "the working classes" being lardies, who should stop eating cakes & pies and should eat veg.
Its end credits intercut with an ad for his new show where he makes lovely cakes and pies:D

BroomBurner

I love Hugh F-W! His attitude to food is great and he really isn't as pushy as some other tv chefs (though some people in the UK obviously need to be pushed into eating healthy food).
Went over to River Cottage this time last year, sent my husband on one of those Learn to Butcher a Cow courses. He had a great time, the butcher there (Ray, I think his name is) is meant to be sound and they were all given a massive feed and some free cuts of meat to bring home.
The area he lives in in the UK is beautiful, and the people there really are actually that friendly and neighbourly to each other (from the few days we spent around there).

niceirishfella

Wow - is the a website for his place?

Macha

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a scarily ominous class system lurking behind this programme

Can you explain?

brianthebard

taconnol wrote: »

Can you explain?

Well firstly there's the countryside as enchanting escape for the middle classes. There's the patronising way he looks at "real" farmers. There's a talking down to the working classes who don't eat free range or organic and again patronising tones in the way he "brings a better life to the suburbs" in some of his programmes. Stuff like that.

fred funk }{

He a legend alright. I'm not squermish about seeing where our meat comes from but some of the thing he's eaten is a little on the wild side
The road kill was brilliant. Most of his food seemed to be well recieved by the public when eaten.

SoupyNorman

I love the early stuff, A Cook On The Wild Side and The Early River Cottage. Though I still like his stuff, it comes across with abit of a commercial tint now. He aint a small holder no more (I dont believe that small holders have store frontage in upmarket Dorset villages?).

But he has a quirk that works, that completely separates him from the plethora of TV chefs out there, and the fact that the top chefs rate him adds to his likability.

niceirishfella

When i retire, i'm going to be a smallholder!

Nice.

anyone care to join me?

Macha

brianthebard wrote: »

Well firstly there's the countryside as enchanting escape for the middle classes.

How so? He actually talks a lot about urban food-using waste land and public trees. Trying to get urban people to realise where their food comes from does not equal making it out to be an "enchanting escape".

brianthebard wrote: »

There's the patronising way he looks at "real" farmers.

Sorry I don't see that. He just describes the way he makes his own food and manages his own farm. If he thinks that's better, there isn't anything wrong with him putting that opinion across.

brianthebard wrote: »

There's a talking down to the working classes who don't eat free range or organic

How does he talk down to them? Free range and organic are better quality and better for the environment. How exactly do you distinguish between the middle class and the working classes in his programme? You seem to use these terms to label them as and when suits you.

brianthebard wrote: »

and again patronising tones in the way he "brings a better life to the suburbs" in some of his programmes. Stuff like that.

So now wanting to make a difference is patronising? Lord, this is exactly the type of begrudgery that I cannot stand.