Keeping you safe

We realise you may be feeling a little trepidatious about coming to events at River Cottage HQ so hopefully the information below will reassure you.

If you have any further questions, please get in touch, otherwise we look forward to welcoming you!

Updated 24.03.2021

Following the Government's latest announcement the River Cottage doors will remain closed until 12th April 2021 when we will be able to reopen to host our outdoor courses as well as our Pig in a Day and Ferment the Seasons courses. From the 17th May we will aim to restart our indoor courses and dining events. We are still taking bookings for Spring and Summer 2021 and hope to see you soon.

We are continuing to offer a takeaway service from River Cottage HQ, so if you're local please do check each week for the newest menu.

Update 26.11.20

In line with the government restrictions, if you live within a tier 3 area (or higher) we will unfortunately not be able to welcome you until the restrictions have eased. We are terribly sorry about this but keeping everyone safe is, of course, our main priority. If you are in a tier 3 area please notify us on events@rivercottage.net as soon as possible and we will look to reschedule your event for a date in the future. If you have booked the course for somebody else, please ensure this is passed onto the attendee or make us aware on their behalf.

For dining events, in line with the regulations we are only able to welcome members of the same household to dine together. Therefore, if you have made a booking for multiple households please let us know by emailing events@rivercottage.net and we will check to make sure we can accommodate the booking on separate tables or look to postpone for a future event.

Your Safety

We take your safety very seriously so have introduced the following measures to keep you safe and well. These measures will be constantly reviewed and adhere to the Government's guidance.

We have reduced the capacity on our events and courses to allow more space, ensuring all guests can remain the required distance apart.

Our team wear masks at all times to help keep you safe, and following the latest Government guidelines, we ask that all guests wear a mask when indoors except when sat at your table. This includes guests in the cookery school, you will be required to wear your mask during the course.

To maintain social distancing, we will not be operating our traditional tractor-trailer ride to-and-from the car park to the farm. Instead, there will be a short 10 minute walk through the wonderful pathways, enabling you to really soak up the views of the valley and get your River Cottage experience started. The track is uneven so please wear appropriate footwear. If the walk down to HQ is something you are worried about due to accessibility challenges please let us know in advance of your visit and we will be able to help you down to the farm safely.

You will see signage around the site to help you stay safe and to aid social distancing. If you have any questions or concerns before your visit, please contact us on events@rivercottage.net.

We have always had exceptional hygiene standards and our staff have been thoroughly trained in new and enhanced safety procedures. All of our spaces and equipment will be thoroughly cleaned before and after every event. The toilets will be cleaned hourly and there will be Sanitiser Stations available for your's and our teams use.

For courses, you will have your own utensils and equipment wherever possible and you will be spaced out in our cookery school to allow distance between guests - there will be a maximum of 10 guests on any course in our cookery school. For the time being, we kindly ask guests to bring and wear a face mask for indoor cookery courses.

Our farmhouse will operate on a strict cleaning regime, with access only allowed for those who are staying with us.

Our team will always be around, at a safe distance, to guide you through on the day.

Your Bookings

Our usual T&Cs stand, however if you have Covid symptoms or have been advised to isolate, please contact us and do not visit, this is vital for the safety of all our guests.

If we have to close due to Covid, your booking will be transferred. You can read our full T&Cs HERE.

Be prepared!

For all of our events, you’ll be outside for some of the day, even if just the journey to-and-from the car so please dress according to the forecast and bring warm waterproof clothing in case of bad weather and wear sturdy shoes for the walk. There is no dress code at River Cottage, we just want you to be comfortable.