Return to River Cottage is the second series of the Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...

 programme that follows Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a British celebrity chef, television personality, journalist, food writer and "real food" campaigner, known for his back-to-basics philosophy...

 during his second year of living in the country at River Cottage

River Cottage

River Cottage is a former weekend and holiday home that was originally a game-keeper's lodge in the grounds of Slape Manor, Netherbury, Dorset. From 1998 it was used by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall as a setting for three television series: Escape to River Cottage, Return to River Cottage and River...

, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

 after leaving the city behind

Show summary

In this series, Hugh turns his smallholding

Smallholding

A smallholding is a farm of small size.In third world countries, smallholdings are usually farms supporting a single family with a mixture of cash crops and subsistence farming. As a country becomes more affluent and farming practices become more efficient, smallholdings may persist as a legacy of...

 into a real home farm and edges a little closer to self-sufficiency. Hugh uses home-grown food to create dishes. 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 Hugh moved to River Cottage. Hugh negotiates with his neighbour to secure the use of a four and a half acre Acre The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...  (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 Hugh's chickens, which he introduces to high-rise living, and three "Spice" pigs which he names Ginger, Baby and Fat. Hugh takes part in a pub's annual raw nettle Nettle Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with a cosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby... -eating competition and makes nettle gnocchi Gnocchi Gnocchi are various thick, soft dumplings. They may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, flour and egg, flour, egg, and cheese, potato, bread crumbs, or similar ingredients. The smaller forms are called gnocchetti.... . He also goes scallop Scallop A scallop is a marine bivalve mollusk of the family Pectinidae. Scallops are a cosmopolitan family, found in all of the world's oceans. Many scallops are highly prized as a food source... -diving and prepares a soup of wild watercress Watercress Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings...  and wild garlic Wild garlic A number of different plant species of the genus Allium are known as Wild Garlic:*Allium ursinum *Allium vineale *Allium drummondii, Drummond's onion...  foraged from his newly-acquired field.
2	21 January 2000	Two of Hugh's chickens aren't acclimating to their 8 feet (2.4 m)-high coop, so he sells them at the annual poultry auction and buys three new birds. Hugh prepares a fruit fool Fruit fool A fool is an English dessert generally made by mixing puréed fruit, whipped cream, sugar, and possibly a flavouring agent like rose water.- History and etymology:...  with fresh gooseberry Gooseberry The gooseberry or ; Ribes uva-crispa, syn. R. grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa and southwestern Asia... , elderflower and Marge's cream. Hugh calls in vet Jeff Johnson to castrate his bull calf, then they enjoy the testicles on toast with sage leaves. Michael Michaud helps Hugh plant tomatoes in his newly-constructed polytunnel Polytunnel A polytunnel is a tunnel made of polyethylene used to grow plants that require a higher temperature and/or humidity than that which is available in the environment.... . Finally, Hugh joins gamekeepers to hunt rabbit, then he sells bunny burgers and spicy rabbit satay Satay Satay , or sate, is a dish of marinated, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are...  at a farmer's market.
3	28 January 2000	Hugh's landlords the Hitches are hosting a medieval fair, and Hugh offers up one of his pigs for spit roasting. Hugh attempts to breed Marge the cow with a bull named Regulus. Hugh participates in traditional mackerel Mackerel Mackerel is a common name applied to a number of different species of fish, mostly, but not exclusively, from the family Scombridae. They may be found in all tropical and temperate seas. Most live offshore in the oceanic environment but a few, like the Spanish mackerel , enter bays and can be... -netting at Chesel Beach, then preserves his share of the catch as a gravlax Gravlax Gravlax or gravad lax , gravet laks , gravlaks , graavilohi , graavilõhe , graflax is a Nordic dish consisting of raw salmon, cured in salt, sugar, and dill... . A Kiwi sheep-shearer teaches Hugh to shear his ewes for summer. Then, Hugh has his local bakery prepare lardy cake Lardy cake Lardy cake, also known as Lardy bread, Lardy Johns, Dough cake and Fourses cake is a traditional rich spiced form of bread probably originating in Wiltshire in the South West of England, which has also been popular throughout the West Country and the southern counties of England including Oxford... s using the fat from his pig. Barbara Gunning helps Hugh roast the pig, whose succulent meat is served on rolls at the fair. Finally, the River Cottage team loses at tug of war Tug of war Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two... , sending Hugh flying into the moat, to the delight of all.
4	4 February 2000	Unseasonal rains flatten Hugh's potential hay crop, and the tomatoes in his polytunnel are stricken by blight. Sheep shower Joanna helps Hugh groom one of his sheep -- coincidentally also called Joanna -- for competition in a show. Hugh 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 Giant puffball Calvatia gigantea, commonly known as the Giant puffball, is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests worldwide usually in late summer and autumn. It is common throughout Europe and North America.-Description:... . Hugh traps signal crayfish Signal crayfish The signal crayfish, Pacifastacus leniusculus, is a North American species of crayfish. It was introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the Scandinavian Astacus astacus fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague, but the imports turned out to be a carrier of that disease...  in his river, and prepares a leg of lamb in hay. At the livestock show, Hugh's sheep wins second prize.
5	11 February 2000	The tomato crop has survived the blight, and Hugh prepares to take on organic Organic food Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...  grower Michael in a friendly competition at the farmer's market. Hugh turns his tomatoes into a variety of upmarket products including ketchup Ketchup Ketchup is a sweet-and-tangy condiment typically made from tomatoes, vinegar, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup and an assortment of... , tomato and apple jelly, and samosa Samosa A samosa is a stuffed, deep fried,snack that is very popular in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Southwest Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, the Horn of Africa, North Africa and South Africa... s stuffed with green tomato and pumpkin Pumpkin A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America... . Hugh enlists Trish, a graphic artist, to design labels for his new brand, The River Cottage Glutton. Meanwhile, Hugh 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 the ham expert returns to sample the dry-cured ham from last year. To thank Trish, Hugh invites her for a dinner of Lobster Thermidor Lobster Thermidor Lobster Thermidor is a French dish consisting of a creamy mixture of cooked lobster meat, egg yolks, and cognac or brandy, stuffed into a lobster shell, and optionally served with an oven-browned cheese crust, typically Gruyère... . At the farmer's market, Hugh's strategy of selling prepared foods proves successful.
6	18 February 2000	Hugh tries brewing his own beer, using a hop plant Hop (plant) Humulus, Hop, is a small genus of flowering plants native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The female flowers of H. lupulus are known as hops, and are used as a culinary flavoring and stabilizer, especially in the brewing of beer...  he's found growing atop a tree. Later, he employs Nigel, an expert in hedge laying Hedge laying Hedge laying is a country skill, typically found in the United Kingdom and Ireland, which, through the creation and maintenance of hedges, achieves the following:* the formation of livestock-proof barriers;... , to tame the trees behind the cottage. In exchange for a few bales of hay, Hugh acts as the quarry in a bloodhound Bloodhound The Bloodhound is a large breed of dog which, while originally bred to hunt deer and wild boar, was later bred specifically to track human beings. It is a scenthound, tracking by smell, as opposed to a sighthound, which tracks using vision. It is famed for its ability to discern human odors even...  hunt. Finding that too exhausting, Hugh decides to hold a "bring-a-bale" party to shore up his supply of hay for the winter. He cooks a Moroccan tajine Tajine A tajine, or tagine , is a dish from North Africa, that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed...  with lamb, and Ray the butcher prepares steaks from Hugh's steer, which they eat with fresh horseradish Horseradish Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes mustard, wasabi, broccoli, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to south eastern Europe and the Arab World , but is popular around the world today... sauce. The series closes with Hugh's party, as he's joined everyone who has helped him over the past year.

External links

• Return To River Cottage at TV.com