River Cottage: The View From River Cottage

PROGRAMME ONE: GROW YOUR OWN
The series kicks off by examining the importance of growing your own produce, including the satisfaction of rearing meat and nurturing fruit and vegetables.
Hugh's journey down the road of self-sufficiency started out with a modest vegetable patch and a handful of animals, but the joys of gardening and husbandry took hold and developed into something much bigger. 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.
PROGRAMME TWO: THRIFT
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.
PROGRAMME TREE: GOING LOCAL
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.
PROGRAMME FOUR: WILD HARVEST
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.
PROGRAMME FIVE:ONE FOR THE POT
This week Hugh looks back on his experiences of bagging 'one for the pot', whether it's the rabbits that are eating his lettuces (transformed into Bunny Burgers for the local farmers' market), or a roe deer, which he spit roasts for a local wedding feast.
Hugh explains his philosophy about wild meat that it reminds us that all meat comes from animals, and that those animals deserve a natural diet, a natural life, and some space to roam in.
PROGRAMME SIX: FEASTING AND FUN
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.