Return to River Cottage

Return to River Cottage
Created by	Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Starring	Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Executive producer	Nick Powell
Producer	Richard Ellingham
Running time	30 minutes (with commercials)
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	14 January (2000-01-14) – 18 February 2000 (2000-02-18)

Return to River Cottage is the second series of the Channel 4 programme that follows Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall during his second year of living in the country at River Cottage, Dorset after leaving the city behind. The preceding series was Escape to River Cottage.

Show summary

In this series, Fearnley-Whittingstall turns his smallholding into a real home farm and edges a little closer to self-sufficiency. He also explores some of the local traditions and continues to meet the residents of Dorset.

List of episodes

Ep.	Air Date	Summary
1	14 January 2000	It's April, one year since Fearnley-Whittingstall moved to River Cottage. He negotiates with his neighbour to secure the use of a four and a half acre (18,200 m2) field, just enough to support a cow called Marge and her calf, a steer of beef and a small flock of Dorset Down sheep. The cattle are joined by Fearnley-Whittingstall's chickens, which he introduces to high-rise living, and three "Spice" pigs which he names Ginger, Baby and Fat. Fearnley-Whittingstall takes part in a pub's annual raw nettle-eating competition and makes nettle gnocchi. He also goes scallop-diving, making tortillias and prepares a soup of wild watercress and wild garlic foraged from his newly acquired field.
2	21 January 2000	Two of Fearnley-Whittingstall's chickens aren't acclimating to their 8-foot (2.4 m)-high coop, so he sells them at the annual poultry auction and buys three new birds. Fearnley-Whittingstall prepares a fruit fool with fresh gooseberry, elderflower and Marge's cream. Fearnley-Whittingstall calls in veterinarian Jeff Johnson to castrate his bull calf, then they enjoy the testicles on toast with sage leaves. Michael Michaud helps Fearnley-Whittingstall plant tomatoes in his newly constructed polytunnel. Finally, Fearnley-Whittingstall joins gamekeepers to hunt rabbit, then he sells bunny burgers and spicy rabbit satay at a farmer's market.
3	28 January 2000	Fearnley-Whittingstall's landlords the Hitches are hosting a medieval fair, and he offers up one of his pigs for spit roasting. Fearnley-Whittingstall attempts to breed Marge the cow with a bull named Regulus. Fearnley-Whittingstall participates in traditional mackerel-netting at Chesel Beach, then preserves his share of the catch as a gravlax and cooks mackerel boiled in seawater . A Kiwi sheep-shearer teaches Fearnley-Whittingstall to shear his ewes for summer. Then, Fearnley-Whittingstall has his local bakery prepare lardy cakes using the fat from his pig. Barbara Gunning helps Fearnley-Whittingstall roast the pig, whose succulent meat is served on rolls at the fair. Finally, the River Cottage team loses at tug of war, sending Fearnley-Whittingstall flying into the moat, to the delight of all.
4	4 February 2000	Unseasonal rains flatten Fearnley-Whittingstall's potential hay crop, and the tomatoes in his polytunnel are stricken by blight. Sheep shower Joanna helps Fearnley-Whittingstall groom one of his sheep—coincidentally also called Joanna—for competition in a show. Fearnley-Whittingstall joins Nick and Paddy to forage for a full dinner of wild garlic, pigeon, and Chicken of the Woods stuffed in a 6-pound giant puffball. Fearnley-Whittingstall next traps signal crayfish in his river, and prepares a leg of lamb in hay. At the livestock show, Fearnley-Whittingstall's sheep wins second prize.
5	11 February 2000	The tomato crop has survived the blight, and Fearnley-Whittingstall prepares to take on organic grower Michael Michaud in a friendly competition at the farmer's market. Fearnley-Whittingstall turns his tomatoes into a variety of upmarket products including ketchup, tomato and apple jelly, and samosas stuffed with green tomato and pumpkin. Fearnley-Whittingstall enlists Trish, a graphic artist, to design labels for his new brand, The River Cottage Glutton. Meanwhile, Fearnley-Whittingstall fears his "Spice" pigs may have been targeted by a horny wild boar, so he sets up a whimsical tripwire alarm system around the pig pen. Victor Borge the ham expert returns to sample the dry-cured ham from last year. To thank Trish, Fearnley-Whittingstall invites her for a dinner of Lobster Thermidor. At the farmer's market, Fearnley-Whittingstall's strategy of selling prepared foods proves successful.
6	18 February 2000	Fearnley-Whittingstall tries brewing his own beer, using a hop plant he's found growing atop a tree. Later, he employs Nigel, an expert in hedge laying, to tame the trees behind the cottage. In exchange for a few bales of hay, Fearnley-Whittingstall acts as the quarry in a bloodhound hunt. Finding that too exhausting, Fearnley-Whittingstall decides to hold a "bring-a-bale" party to shore up his supply of hay for the winter. He cooks a Moroccan tajine with lamb, and Ray Smith the butcher prepares steaks from Hugh's steer, which they eat with fresh horseradish sauce. The series closes with Fearnley-Whittingstall's party, as he's joined everyone who has helped him over the past year.

External links

• Return to River Cottage at IMDb