285 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
285 lines
12 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sponsored
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offers
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best-deals-of-the-day
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8391740
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-----
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# River Cottage's rural retreat
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## Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage on the border of Devon is one
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of those rare places that remains as close to its ideologies now as when it
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was first founded. Head chef Gill Meller talks to Katy Gwilliam.
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![Gill Meller, Head Chef at River Cottage][1]
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Gill Meller, Head Chef at River Cottage Photo: River Cottage
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By Katy Gwilliam 7:20PM GMT 19 Mar 2011
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Since its creation, Hugh has successfully boosted River Cottage's appeal by
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adding a range of new and interesting courses to the ever-growing portfolio.
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Gill Meller, Head Chef, runs the cookery course and explains exactly what
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distinguishes River Cottage from other culinary schools.
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![Park Farm on the border of Devon][2]
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Park Farm on the border of Devon
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Set in 65 acres of organic farmland in Axminster, River Cottage started life
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as a small site, where Hugh grew and reared some of his own food. Today the
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farm still upholds its principles and has developed from a muse into pleasing
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reality. In a bid to create a zero-carbon, sustainable business, Hugh
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Fearnley-Whittingstall transformed Park Farm into a beautiful retreat that
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conformed with his philosophy of self-sufficiency, food integrity, and the
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consumption of local, seasonal produce. This is not any run-of-the-mill
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offering; Hugh has introduced courses that range from four-day cookery schools
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and bread workshops to mushroom foraging and 'pig in a day' sessions. With a
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seemingly endless selection from which to choose, the farm caters for all.
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Considering the breadth of courses and events available, we are curious as to
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how River Cottage maintains its individuality and ideals. Gill Meller
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explains: "The teaching that takes place at the farm covers all sorts of
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skills but there is always an underlying theme, which is based on ethics,
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sustainability and getting to know your landscape, your garden and your
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animals. It is quite hard to generalise because there are so many different
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areas. But whether you are being taught how to grow baby salad leaves or how
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to butcher a pig, the same philosophy applies - getting to know the food,
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including what is good and, quite possibly, what is not."
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These underlying themes form the foundation of an organisation that has
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remained so successful as a result of adhering to an ideal first propounded by
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Hugh in 1998. However, with such strong principles in place, we wonder whether
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the experts ever face any challenges when attempting to maintain the ideology
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of River Cottage. "Yes it can be challenging. There are all sorts of slight
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contradictions and confusions involved with trying to stick to a firm ideology
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and views on food are always changing. The fish scene has changed even over
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the past three or four months. I suppose you've got to adapt your way of
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thinking as the climate and markets evolve." Gill elaborates with an example:
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"Six years ago it was all right to put anchovies on our River Cottage menu;
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now we only use one specific anchovy that is totally sustainably caught. As
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you become more aware of changing trends, you have got to change with them in
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order to keep the world going round in a way, haven't you?"
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Although he identifies a few challenges, Gill's response connotes that River
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Cottage's philosophy is imprinted on his persona and is a belief he has
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fostered since setting up his own catering company before joining Hugh. He is
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clearly passionate about working at River Cottage: "For me, the most rewarding
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thing is people feeling they have learnt something and that they can actually
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go away and do something we have taught them, whether it's making bacon or a
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honey cake. The response you get from them at the end of the day is full of
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glowing gratitude. You really feel like you've passed on that bit of
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knowledge, whether it's something fairly simple or something that bit more
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complicated. I think that is one of the more enjoyable things about the
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teaching."
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Customers' positive feedback and good experiences clearly leave them wanting
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more because Gill often finds familiar faces at River Cottage: "You do get
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people coming back. They usually have a really good experience, so there might
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be another course they have seen and want to have a go at." This may be
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attributed to the fact that courses at the cottage cater for a wide range of
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interests, skills and abilities. "You get a broad range of people from all
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walks of life - lawyers, teachers, retired, young, a whole mixture. This makes
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it much more interesting and exciting in a way because they've all got their
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own ideas. They all have lunch together and over the four days it becomes like
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working with a little family."
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However, Gill is quick to add that each course is aimed at a certain level.
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For instance, the basic cookery course he currently runs is directed at the
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enthusiastic home cook, not the professional. "There is not a huge amount of
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complicated items; it's mainly the basics for the amateur and anyone who is
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enthusiastic about cooking. In terms of picking up the basic skills, it's
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pretty ideal."
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Thankfully, River Cottage is open throughout the year and attracts guests from
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winter to summer. Interestingly the popularity of the courses is consistent,
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which is testament to the venue's multifaceted nature. Each season has its
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merits so, as Gill highlights, it makes no difference whether people visit in
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the winter or summer; there will always be something new and exciting to
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learn. "Depending on the time of year, we will teach various seasonal dishes
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reflecting whatever is available. I suppose the upside of the summer is that
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the vegetable gardens look amazing and there are leaves on the trees. It is an
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absolutely gorgeous place to visit."
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River Cottage prides itself on working with a choice collection of local and
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organic food and drink producers from the South West. Equally, it is evident
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that the course leaders have also been carefully selected to help represent
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the brand, almost in ambassadorial roles. Each one is an expert in his or her
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field and evinces both passion for and commitment to Hugh's brainchild. Gill
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explains: "Various tutors and experts come to River Cottage to run the
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courses. For instance, John Wright, who is a mushroom and wild food expert,
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runs the foraging course. The bread and baking course is run by Dan Stevens,
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who has written a book (Bread: River Cottage Handbook No. 3, Bloomsbury
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Publishing PLC, 2009) under the River Cottage name. This is another one of the
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great things about working here - every course is different and you are always
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working with different people and different experts. For a chef, it is great
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exposure to people with such wide-ranging knowledge. You wouldn't quite get
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this in a restaurant environment."
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Gill's entrance into the world of cookery was a happy accident. Perhaps it was
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growing up with a mother who demonstrated a real talent for cooking that
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afforded Gill a subconscious interest and natural aptitude for cookery. "It
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wasn't intentional. I hadn't planned it as a profession." He originally
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trained in photography, art history and graphics before meeting his wife. When
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their first daughter arrived, Gill jumped into cooking more out of necessity
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than anything else. Luckily for the River Cottage, he found it was not only
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something he thoroughly enjoyed but also a profession for which he displayed a
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true flair. "I found that it was something I'd quite like to pursue, so I
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moved around, got more experience and worked with various people. The cooking
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kind of took over and became a real passion. Then I met Hugh at a party and we
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got talking. He wanted some help with a new programme focused on turning this
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farm around and diversifying into an events-based cookery school." The rest is
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history.
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At first, Gill started working at River Cottage only on a temporary basis,
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juggling work at the farm with his own catering business. Once the project
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gained momentum, he realised that it was a fantastic initiative and became
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solely committed to making River Cottage a success. Years later, Gill remains
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one of the key cogs in the biomass and wind turbine-generated wheel, no doubt
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with a few more tricks up his sleeve to keep the regulars returning.
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01852/Park_Farm_on_the_b_1
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