The original River Cottage cookbook

by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Sometimes a book is more than a book. It is the beginning of a revolution...

Reissued for the first time in a decade, updated with brand-new recipes and an insight into life at Park Farm, this is THE RIVER COTTAGE COOKBOOK.

Ten years ago, Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall wrote a revelatory collection of recipes, interwoven with opinion, politics and guidance, inspired by his passionate belief in the importance of local, seasonal, well-produced food. Since then, this book, the first in the River Cottage canon, has won multiple awards, sold half-a-million copies and helped many thousands of people to grow vegetables, keep poultry, raise livestock, shop sustainably, cook well and eat with pleasure.

Classic recipes such as glazed ham, tail and tongue of beef with red wine sauce, clams with chorizo, plum bread and butter pudding or gooseberry and elderflower ice-cream need no updating. But a new section contains fresh ideas - like lamb's liver with merguez spices, the definitive River Cottage pork sausage and Cornish sardines with salsa verde - which are destined to become favourites.

A book to use, inspire and give, THE RIVER COTTAGE HANDBOOK remains a ground breaking classic.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Food and Drink, British Literature

488 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, smallholder, television presenter, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy.

A talented writer, broadcaster and campaigner, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is widely known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books.

His early smallholding experiences were shown in the Channel 4 River Cottage series and led to the publication of The River Cottage Cookbook (2001), which won the Glenfiddich Trophy and the André Simon Food Book of the Year awards.

The success of the show and the books allowed Hugh to establish River Cottage HQ near Bridport in 2004.

In the same year, Hugh published The River Cottage Meat Book to wide acclaim and won a second André Simon Food Book of the Year Award.

He has just finished filming his most recent series, which accompanies his most recent book, River Cottage Every Day.

He continues to write as a journalist, including a weekly column in The Guardian and is Patron of the National Farmers’ Retail and Markets Association (FARMA).

River Cottage HQ moved in 2006, to a farm near the Dorset/Devon border, where visitors can take a variety of courses. http://www.rivercottage.net

During River Cottage Spring (2008) Hugh helped a group of Bristol families start a smallholding on derelict council land.

The experience was so inspiring he decided to see if it would work nationwide, and Landshare was created to bring keen growers and landowners together. The movement now includes more than 50,000 people.

Son of https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Reviews

[Lucy Wordley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every so often I love to pick this book back up and read from cover to cover. A decade after this updated edition was published and two decades after the original book, The River Cottage Cookbook remains one of the best reference books for anyone interested in the provenance of their food and the prospect of growing, rearing, hunting and foraging their own.

A true classic which contains so much more than just the title of 'cookbook' alludes to. This is a book rammed full of practical lessons, amusing anecdotes and useful information. Every time I pick it up I learn something, but most importantly it inspires me to keep striving for a life filled with fresh, sustainable, seasonal and delicious food!

[Oliver Starling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was more than a simple cookbook. I’m one of these people who likes to read a cookbook from cover to cover, and this is more a manifesto on a better way of life than a recipe collection. Yes, there are recipes from the show but the real delight is in learning what month to sow your carrot seeds, how to raise chickens, how to catch a lobster… it’s selling you a way of life, not a way to cook.

[Henar Aguilera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recetas sencillas y originales, y algo (mucho) más sobre sus ingredientes. Aunque no como carne y muchas de las recetas no las voy a aplicar nunca, la filosofía de Hugh sobre los alimentos es siempre interesante. Salpimentado, como siempre es el caso de los productos de River Cottage, con historias personales y experiencias de autosuficiencia.

[ToboReads]

This is one of those books to which I can't fairly give a star rating, because it's largely useless to me, but that doesn't make it a bad book by any means. Much of the book, as other reviewers mention, focuses on raising/growing your own food, and I think this book would be a truly amazing resources if you are interested in that lifestyle. It's a huge tome, and just FULL of information. However, as someone who has no garden space and certainly no room to raise my own animals for food, most of that information was unnecessary for me. As for the recipes, the meals seem geared towards larger family meals, what I would think of as "Sunday dinner" type of meals.

This is a beautifully put together book that's packed to the gills with information, but clearly fit for a certain type of reader/cook.

[Katharine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. A huge, heavy book. Everything on how to choose breeds, prepare homes for, keep happy, kill, clean, and cook many animals. From the usual farm animals to wild game, to oddities like cuttlefish (and a great picture of the ink all over the bathtub). Also full information on how to prepare and grow a garden and information about all the vegetable and fruit choices. And how to choose fruit from the supermarket. And forage for mushrooms and wild berries. And pretty much anything else you could possibly think of. Gorgeous photos that make me feel like I'm in England. Written in a way that feels like you're getting a personal lesson, seems to make sense and be easy to follow, although not practical for most people. Makes me yearn for a farm and a cozy brick cottage!

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

But I live in suburbia! At least half of this book is pie in the sky for me. Not that I have any great urge to go off and skin rabbits, make nettle soup, or anything. It's just that I can't. This shouldn't be marketed as a, "You could do this too!" book. Or maybe this lovely book was never meant for city-dwellers. I shouldn't be teasing my self-sustaining fantasies this cruelly.
P.S. The veg recipes look delicious, and the gardening section was inspiring! For maximum doability, however, I recommend the 'family' version of this cookbook.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title really doesn't cover the contents.
This is the story of the brilliant River Cottage TV series.
With this book, and the right sources, you should be able to duplicate what he achieved.
A sort of up to date and more comprehensive guide to the father of self sufficiency, John Seymour.
Great read, great recipes, great photo's.
Even if we can't all live in this lifestyle we can dream and take on board some of the advice!
incidentally River Cottage can be seen on Google Maps satellite view, although some of the grounds are obscured by trees and shrubbery.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish i lived near the sea so i could do down to the docks and haggle for cheap fresh crab and lobster, i mean he was talking about types of crab that you just can't find and i bet their pale white meat would be sweeter for the purple velvet on their claws. i want a farm, i want to eat my own suckling pig and make sausages and bacon and well yeah self sufficiency is a harsh mistress im not sure i could turn my garage into an abattoir. but STILL!!!

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading all the essays in between recipes on eating sustainably and knowing more about the provenance of your food. I'm unlikely to ever need much of the information on animal husbandry or squirrel skinning, but it was interesting and I have a greater appreciation for the food I bring into my home. As a cookbook this wasn't really my bag - too many exotic ingredients (which was kind of the point) and steps like hanging meat for three days in a cool dry place.

[Catherine Woodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a beautifully photographed book, and while I guess I would consider myself to be a convert, he is very preachy about what he thinks is wrong with the way we grow food. He says we should eat half as much meat as we do and pay twice as much for it, and I larely agree with that. The photos alone are worth getting the book out of the library

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really interesting recipes, that sound absolutely delicious. Brilliant information given for things I had never thought of. A lot of information that most cookbooks don't give, for example how to pick a fish that is fresh,what you are looking for etc. How to cook snails.. Really can't wait to try some out.

[Dan Lenox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someday, when I get bored with life in the city, this is the way I'm going to live. Not everyone can say they have pig slaughtering get-togethers once a year and a.)not be joking and b.)not be creepy. A great book about country life not just cooking.

[lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fabulous cookbook. This guy is so enthusiastic about food and he goes into great poetic detail about everything from farm fresh produce to why you should raise and kill your own chickens. I haven't used any of the recipes from this book, but that's beside the point.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book filled me with all kinds of dangerous ideas about having my own flock, harvesting from my own fruit trees, and foraging in the woods. I would consider it more of a reference book for the aspiring homesteader than a cookbook. For that reason, I don't think I need a copy...yet.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is for a family who hunts their food: recipes all about game. I didn't realize it when I chose the book, as I liked the vegetable book by this author lots. I don't ever expect to cook anything discussed here!

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The food was reminiscent of Nigel Slater's food, but not nearly as eye-catching. It was a great encyclopedia of food knowledge, however, and I found myself picking up a number of random food tidbits.

[Justin Walshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

My stolen copy of said memoirs reveals Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall living up to his fearsome reputation as he proceeds to wander around the marsh signing autographs for local pigeons with demented unpredictability.
Highlight: Chapter Seventeen: How best to use an axe to remove a toe, while cooking a pizza made of fur.

[Lee Broderick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The central tenet of this book is that the year-round availability of ingredients in modern supermarkets has robbed us of much of their enjoyment. It's difficult to overstate the influence that this book had, and continues to have: it remains the definitive volume on seasonal cooking in Britain more than a decade on.

A wealth of information is contained on buying and harvesting ingredients - wildfood and farm & garden produce and this is supplemented by several recipes. The recipes mainly draw on modern British cuisine but have some more international ones included too.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved the tv programme... you will definitely like this book.

[Dee Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for anyone living the smallholding dream. The recipes are good but the advice on animal husbandry and killing and preparing thereof is invaluable.

[Dee Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful as well as beautifully presented book.

[chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful photos - seems to be heavy on the meatiness, but I think it will be a good addition to the cookbook shelf...

[bookyeti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all of us can live the smallholding dream, but following along with Hugh's cookbooks are the next best thing. :) This guy is my hero!

[Lili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lifestyle cookery book with some very good recipes.

[Ellen Monrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a recipe for crispy pig's ears with Hugh's tartar sauce this is the cookbook for you.

[Angela Burkholder · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book to read! We use his ketchup recipe as the basis for our ketchup every year during tomato season.

[Ally Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

in my next life i want to be married to this dude....solely for the good food.