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A Cook on the Wild Side
A cook-book which incorporates a tour of the British countryside in search of wild ingredients. The book presents all the recipes from both of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's television series of the same name, as well as new recipes. Guidance is included on where to find the ingredients.
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
80 people want to read
About the author
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
81 books186 followersHugh 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...
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...
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 20, 2025
This book has been out many, many years now but it is the perfect accompaniment to the TV series.
All the recipes, HFW's comments and notes on various episodes and items that arose. Sadly not to much on the Land Rover (one of the reasons we all watched the series) but it's a great book to have to add new dishes into your kitchen (inside or outside).
All the recipes, HFW's comments and notes on various episodes and items that arose. Sadly not to much on the Land Rover (one of the reasons we all watched the series) but it's a great book to have to add new dishes into your kitchen (inside or outside).
February 4, 2015
Excellent, beautifully written & laid out, packed with information. A very practical book. Realistic too; I thought very clever to include alternative ingredients for those who feel safer trawling the shops and markets rather than the fields and seashore. Contrary to the claim on the back cover, there is one dish I cannot find in the book, but which was shown on screen: placenta pâté. But that’s not really a great loss, and does reduce the risk of being Sectioned under the Mental Health Act (or similar) for after having given birth, demanding the return of one’s placenta from the midwife? Hmm. Good on TV, but probably right to use the book to emphasise and educate on the more easily accessible wild delicacies, such as wood pigeon (yum).
I’ve never been tempted by Hugh’s oak-leaf wine; having discovered the hard way that Lemon Balm (a herb) wine tasted unappetisingly of dried grass; to this day I don’t know what happened to the lemon scent of the plant. His recipe for Nettle Soup is delicious. I only wish I could lay my hands on ripe wild hazelnuts; our local squirrels must be either eating them green or the moment they are just ripe.
I’ve never been tempted by Hugh’s oak-leaf wine; having discovered the hard way that Lemon Balm (a herb) wine tasted unappetisingly of dried grass; to this day I don’t know what happened to the lemon scent of the plant. His recipe for Nettle Soup is delicious. I only wish I could lay my hands on ripe wild hazelnuts; our local squirrels must be either eating them green or the moment they are just ripe.
June 8, 2023
If you've watched the television series entitled "A Cook On The Wild Side" which had originally aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. from 1995 through 1997, then you have a pretty reasonable idea what to expect in this book, though you don't need to be familiar with Hugh's shows to enjoy this book.
In the television series which this show is based on, Hugh traveled throughout the U.K. and he created meals with fruits, meats and vegetables that he'd foraged, hunted, caught, picked and scavenged, and he'd met quite a few interesting characters along his travels.
In this book, he lists the dishes that he'd created during the two seasons that "A Cook On The Wild Side" had aired, he presents the dishes as recipes which you can recreate in your kitchens in your houses or your apartments.
This is actually a very interesting approach to modern European cooking. If you read this book, you can see the origins of the series of "River Cottage" shows which Hugh hosted beginning in 1999.
In the television series which this show is based on, Hugh traveled throughout the U.K. and he created meals with fruits, meats and vegetables that he'd foraged, hunted, caught, picked and scavenged, and he'd met quite a few interesting characters along his travels.
In this book, he lists the dishes that he'd created during the two seasons that "A Cook On The Wild Side" had aired, he presents the dishes as recipes which you can recreate in your kitchens in your houses or your apartments.
This is actually a very interesting approach to modern European cooking. If you read this book, you can see the origins of the series of "River Cottage" shows which Hugh hosted beginning in 1999.
August 14, 2012
Written to accompany the great TV series.
Full of practical details in how to live off the land from meat and fish to vegetables and alcohol.
Always a good read, there's also set of DVD's
Full of practical details in how to live off the land from meat and fish to vegetables and alcohol.
Always a good read, there's also set of DVD's
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews