Gratuitous Gushing about River Cottage Everday, Thurs 8pm c4

[bonniethomas06]

What a legend!

I love HFW. FINALLY someone to teach people how to make stock, how to eat in tune with the seasons, how to cook stuff from scratch that is quick and cheap and nutritious, all the while thinking about where it came from and whether it is sustainable or not. The man deserves a knighthood. I find I cannot help but feel enthusiastic about it, his enthusiasm just radiates out of the television. I can honestly say, it is thanks to Hugh that we were brave enough to have chickens, pigs and turkeys. AND thanks to him (and a few ishers) that we tried elderflower champagne, which was lovely this year.

And the fish programme last night - how fab that someone is championing buying cheap and more sustainable species of fish, and showing you how to cook from scratch a lovely fish dish in under five minutes and for a couple of pounds. All in a non-preachy way and not in a supposedly 'sexy' format, like 'Food' and 'Britains Most Disgusting Foods'.

Oh golly, you may have guessed that he is somewhat of an Idol in our house. And that casual bouncy mop of curls....ahhhh......

[Green Aura]

I used to feel the same way Bonnie

I have the full River Cottage series on DVD and used to watch them with almost religious zeal until I moved up here. Don't know what happened but I haven't felt the need to watch them once since we've been here. It must have been filling a gap that's now been filled

(I also went off him a bit over the free-range chicken thing. I didn't disagree with anything he said but it just got on my nerves a bit ).

[Susiwaa]

I really enjoyed the one last night, going to make those lovely chunky chips with our dinner tonight, they looked well tasty!

Daughter has recently requested that she's allowed to take the River Cottage cook books with her when she goes to Uni!!

[bonniethomas06]

Hehe, 'religious zeal' - that is exactly it!

The only problem is, he is not very health conscious - the amount of butter and animal fat he uses is a tad obscene. I suppose you can't have it all.

[oldjerry]

I watched the 'ccok on the wild side' thing,and thought it good if not original,Richard Mabey had done the same thing years before,but the River cottage stuff is just the usual routine middle-class patronising claptrap(though not to the same extent as that idiot pig bloke in Essex) Any one can make a smallholding pay when a T.V. company is paying the bills.He has gardeners, cooks,etc doing everything anyway. 10 out of 10 as a corporate business, 0 for 'ishness'. Sorry. nb Please send all poison pen letters,parcel bombs etc.to my new address c\o H.M. Government, Westminster. London SW1.

[Green Aura]

Ohhh that's fightin' talk

I too, applaud his endeavours. I just don't need the "fix" any more.

[oldjerry]

I'm not sure he really persuades anyone to do anything except think that smallholding is profitable.As for going round the local estates hectoring people to buy 'ecologically sound' products,when he's clearly had no experience whatsoever of living on the breadline (and I don't mean a couple of terms at college when the grant came late),it was cringe-making..... (don't forget the above address)

[bonniethomas06]

I watched the 'ccok on the wild side' thing,and thought it good if not original,Richard Mabey had done the same thing years before,but the River cottage stuff is just the usual routine middle-class patronising claptrap(though not to the same extent as that idiot pig bloke in Essex) Any one can make a smallholding pay when a T.V. company is paying the bills.He has gardeners, cooks,etc doing everything anyway. 10 out of 10 as a corporate business, 0 for 'ishness'. Sorry. nb Please send all poison pen letters,parcel bombs etc.to my new address c\o H.M. Government, Westminster. London SW1.

You leave my beloved Hugh alone!

I don't think it is fair to say that he is trying to run a smallholding - he makes no pretence that he is self sufficient, and admitted in a Guardian column that he was more playing at it than doing it properly. He never says 'look at me, I am a perfect example of how you should all live' I think he just uses the smallholding as a tool to make his programmes and cookery school more interesting. Nor does he pretend to be frugal - but as he showed the other night, the food he is encouraging us to cook is just as cheap - if not cheaper - than takeaways.

And look at what he has done (or at least tried to do) - like Landshare and Chicken Out - who can argue with more allotment space for people in cities and encouraging us to buy free range chicken? I remember having to go to our local Te$co the next day after the programme went out and seeing that they had totally sold out of free range chicken - I burst into tears.

He is a bit of a toff...but a loveable toff. And look how he handled that awful fat chavy pig called Hayley on the Chicken out programme, who continued to buy the 2 for £5 chooks...he was still courteous and polite and even charming.

Oh gosh, I had better stop.

Now where is that letter bomb?

[JillStephens7]

On a slightly less heated note

I didn't know this was on telly so thanks for saying. I have the everyday cookbook which I like so I will find out when it's on and atch some of them.

Thanks!

[Carltonian Man]

I didn't know this was on telly so thanks for saying.

Me too, no telly so bookmarked to watch on the computer
Thanks for posting

[JillStephens7]

On a slightly less foolish note ... I don't need to find out when it's on 'cause it says in the title and I will be trying to 'catch' some of the episodes not 'atch' them as previously stated

[Millymollymandy]

I've been watching it apart from when I fell asleep last night halfway through and I don't find him any better or any worse than the other TV chefs who do in season food and give you lots of ideas of what to do with stuff from your allotment. It made me laugh though the way they are advocating 'oh it'll only cost you a couple of quid per person', hey that's a lot of money for dinner!

[Shirley]

I used to like watching his programmes but do find him a bit irritating now.

d

[crowsashes]

me and little one sit and watch them online! all i hear for the whole hour from him is 'ooo thats delicious can you cook it!'

got to give the little lad points for taste

i personally find mr j oliver much more irritating , i cant stand that grin, the 'pukka' food or his whiny attitude towards everything (give him thumbs up for the school dinners though even if the convertees were annoying beyond belief)

[oldjerry]

I think anyone with half a brain knows smallholding isn't profitable and are damned hard work - I live on one and I have no illusions on that score. I don't think what he is advocating is actually much to do with smallholding - he just happens to operate out of one, and yes it's very photogenic for the cameras - that's a given - but how nice to see raised beds and countryside nevertheless. I don't think raising awareness is hectoring and I don't think advocating using free range/RSPCA monitored/Freedom food (for example) chickens as opposed to T&sco £2 intensively reared ones is a bad thing given that he also showed how these chickens which have less water pumped into it actually can go further. Many people had no idea how the cheap chickens were reared and were horrified when they found out, and were prepared to pay more and get inventive and make it go further. I could go on, but I won't as I suspect we won't see eye to eye on this one and don't get me wrong, I have every sympathy with less fortunate families with very limited incomes, but don't forget they don't make up the whole population - and you don't have to be on the breadline to be Ish. In my book anyone who inspired people to grow their own, get an allotment, start a community garden, and cook from scratch can't be all bad - middle class or not - what exactly is 'middle class' these days anyway

Sorry post clash with Bonnie