Dear Friends of River Cottage,

Well, I hope you’ve all had time to catch River Cottage Spring on Channel Four so you now know a little more about us than you did last month!

I’m incredibly excited about this series. When we first started to plan it, our idea was to share our passionate belief that when you’re living with the seasons, life is sweeter in every sense - and that’s true whether you’re living in the countryside or in the middle of the city.

I’ve always known that everyone can have a slice of River Cottage. If the volume of activity on the message boards is anything to go by, you do too. With this in mind, earlier in the year I headed off to Bristol to meet the Swaingers, Hoggs, Joyners, Bastins and Brights, five families who bravely volunteered to help us prove our point by growing their own food and rearing their own livestock.

In the first programme Jess Hogg declares enthusiastically 'fresh is life!'. I’m sure she didn’t quite have in mind the acre-and-a-half of bramble thicket - in the middle of which Sleeping Beauty surely dozed – that confronted the families on the first day. Keep watching to share the families’ adventure as they remind themselves – or in some cases, discover for the first time - what seasonality looks, smells and tastes like.

Another noble volunteer who joins us for the series is Susan, the veggie Londoner who for the past 15 years has only handled meat while wearing rubber gloves. I have to confess that sharing her journey from veggie to meat eater was both exhilarating and exasperating in turns - a case of two bites forward, one spat out.

As Susan tentatively assisted butcher Ray Smith carving up one of my sheep, gradually gaining confidence and bravely trying new things for the first time, it made me think that all of us could be more adventurous. If this show, and Susan’s example, encourages us to do anything it should be to try something new this Spring.

If you’re already rearing your own hens, why not consider a couple of pigs? If you’ve no space for livestock, think about cultivating some vegetables and fruit. Even something as simple as getting to know a local butcher and trying different cuts of meat, or a few new recipes, can enrich your daily life immeasurably. So I encourage you this Spring to experiment. Try new things. Learn a new skill. Taste widely. Come into the garden or kitchen with a reawakened sense of curiosity.

And here are a few recipes from the first programme to get you started. Try spring vegetables with Anchovy, Garlic and Chilli Dressing, Devilled Hearts, or Liver with Sage (all recipes available here).

And did Susan eat meat at her wedding? You’ll have to keep watching to find out!

All the best,

Hugh

Don't miss the next episode of River Cottage Spring, tonight (Wednesday 4th June), Channel 4, 9pm!