I first discovered Hugh and River Cottage through some YouTube postings of his shows and also via the Channel 4 web site in the UK. I try to watch everything he produces, so it was only natural that I picked up the cookbook that started it all from my local library.
Hugh has an earnestness, openness and honesty about food and cooking that is refreshing in today’s world of processed food and quick recipes designed to merely fill our bellies instead of our souls.
I have linked some of the River Cottage videos available on YouTube. UK readers can see more River Cottage videos on demand from the Channel 4 web site.
I have highlighted Hugh in the past, using his ginger beer recipe to turn out bottles of fine tasting homemade soda. Read the Ginger Beer blog post.
This cookbook is more than just a collection of recipes, though. Hugh talks about foraging, raising your own vegetables and even livestock. He gives you insight into raising your own livestock to eat, including the entire process from raising, through butchering to food preparation.
The River Cottage Cookbook by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
See more River Cottage video here
Featured recipes include:
- Strawberry Sandwiches
- Raspberry Jam
- Crab Linguine
- Pea, lettuce and lovage Soup
- …and many more!
I marked a few of the recipes to keep for later use, including:
- Strawberry Gelato, Italian style
- Blackberry Elderberry Wine
- Pot-Roast Chicken and Vegetables
- Roast Chicken with Honey and Couscous
- Spanish Tortilla (and egg and veg dish)
“First published in the United Kingdom in 2001, THE RIVER COTTAGE COOKBOOK quickly became a hit among food cognoscenti around the world. Now tailored for American cooks, this authoritative and animated ode to eating well is one part manifesto and one part guidebook for choosing and storing food grown in the garden, butchered from prize animals, or foraged or caught locally. Fearnley-Whittingstall writes with humor, wit, and clarity, bringing American readers what his legions of British fans have enthusiastically embraced: the best techniques and recipes for getting the most out of simple, superior food, while supporting the environment, vibrant local economies, and resourceful use of plants and animals.
A groundbreaking book on eliminating the “rubbish” from your diet and maximizing the pleasures of the table, from British food personality Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Original edition has sold 300,000 copies in Europe. Throroughly Americanized for a North American audience.”
Previously in Cookbooks:
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