This is a welcome 2 disc release from Acorn Media of the somewhat eccentric Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Channel 4 series Escape to River Cottage. A sort of a cross between a cooking show and an alternative lifestyle series.

Whittingstall, in a bit of a Good Life type scenario, dreams of escaping the suburban rat race and living a self sufficient lifestyle. Finding himself an absolutely gorgeous little cottage in the heart of the Dorset countryside Hugh, who it has to be said is a TV natural, sets about ripping up the lovely flower beds and putting in numerous vegetables and all manner of edible crops.

Hugh (who drives a beat up 1965 Ford Corsair) then sets off in search of pigs and chickens. Interspersed throughout all of this are the cooking segments (where we get to see Hugh’s fantastic rustic kitchen with no mod cons). The meals cooked are generally of the whatever is to hand variety be it locally caught pike or pigeons shot off the squire’s roof. All in all this is a very enjoyable series.

EXTRAS: Besides the 6 episodes of the first season also included is the special Christmas episode and some great other bits and pieces including a whole raft of out-takes which sees Hugh swearing at his car quite a lot and having trouble with invading mice. There is also a Hugh bio and a collection of recipes cooked on the show.

Also available as a double VHS release.