Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his growing family have moved on from River Cottage to a nearby farm 44 acres in size that offers them the potential to produce an abundance of livestock and vegetables. Now, what to do with the surplus?
Hugh's new farm is 10 times the size of River Cottage, so he plans to expand production, including setting up a culinary headquarters where he can sell direct to the public, but he soon wonders if he has bitten off more than he can chew.
Several weeks after Hugh leased a collection of barns near his farm to serve as his culinary headquarters, he gives himself a two-week deadline to accomplish the task of getting the muck-ridden buildings up and running by Valentine's Day.
Hugh builds a maternity room for his sow that is moments away from giving birth. He also contemplates how to install plumbing in his new headquarters, and he challenges himself to put the neglected purple broccoli back on the culinary map.
On May Day, Hugh takes advantage of a healthy crowd that gathers on the Cerne Abbas Giant by selling his famous chocolate waffles. It is also opening night at The River Cottage HQ, and Hugh hopes to serve his guests something spectacular.
There are new arrivals on Hugh's farm this spring, including 11 piglets and two baby lambs. Hugh also attends an Easter Blossom Picnic Party, goes mushroom hunting for morells, and gets a crash course in breadmaking from a master baker.
Hugh installs beehives at The River Cottage HQ, the only problem is his fear of being stung. He also takes on his biggest event yet, a wedding party, and the newlyweds want their entire menu to only include wild, or home-grown, cuisine.
It is party season in Dorset, and Hugh teams up with a local fisherman to catch whelks before spicing them up to sell on the beaches on Carnival Day. Back at The River Cottage HQ, Hugh is inspired to create the West Dorset Tomato Festival.
The day has arrived for Hugh to harvest his honey, and with some help from Ken Bishop, they carefully extract a robust 25 lbs. worth of the golden sweetness. Hugh then enters some culinary delights into the Melplash Agricultural Show.
Hugh plans a sumptuous menu for a special Autumn feast he plans to throw at The River Cottage HQ that includes a chicken feast, courtesy of Chickenopolis. It is also a good time of year to go mushroom hunting, but this time, from the air.
