It’s Organic September – so what better time to share how organic fits into our world here at River Cottage
Organic is at the core of everything we do at River Cottage. We are proud that our farm carries organic certification as accredited by the Soil Association and is managed under Countryside and Environmental Stewardship; schemes run by Natural England.
These schemes help land managers look after natural habitats and bio-diversity, in co-operation with food production. We grow high quality organic fruit and vegetables on 1.5 acres of the farm providing a wide variety of produce for our kitchen, all year round..
It's no secret that Hugh’s a proud champion of organic and it’s something that’s been engrained into the very essence of everything we do here at River Cottage for many years..
“Organic is really important to us here at River Cottage - it's how we raise our livestock, how we grow all our produce and it's at the heart of all our cooking and teaching. We love to show people how to cook and eat sustainably and affordably with organic produce. We're also incredibly proud of our growing range of delicious organic products.”
- Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Provenance is something our chefs care passionately about at River Cottage and if you attend one of our cookery courses , you will hear them explain where your ingredients came from and a little about why we believe eating seasonally and sustainably is not only important but also tastes better..
“Organic food is so important, not only because of the environmental positives, but also the flavours are so much better! Growing organic veg and rearing organic meat also gives me the peace of mind that we are leaving the soil healthy for future generations to farm.
Organic fruit and veg varieties tend to be heritage varieties, as they need to be hardier although a little slower growing, I find they are not only way more interesting, but also tastier!”
– Gelf Alderson, Culinary Director
At River Cottage we believe growing your own veg has the power to change your life. In these times of intensive farming, reliance on harmful pesticides and the detrimental effect it has on our environment, we need to be more reliant on our own patches of safe soil..
"I don't see any other way but to grow organically. After all, it’s how nature intended. Using man-made chemicals and artificial fertiliser on our food is completely unnecessary, and harmful. It's destroying our collective health, as well as stripping our lands and nature of biodiversity. The only winners are the big agricultural companies, who have made people believe this is the only way and to become reliant on them. Sadly it's all about money for them. It's important to remember that people used to grow food just fine before the invention of these petroleum-based products. The question shouldn't be 'Why do you grow organically?' But, rather 'Why wouldn't you grow organically?'.”
– Adam Crofts, Head Gardener
On our gardening courses, we teach people the importance of looking after soil health and lots of other organic tips and tricks you can take away to start growing organic veg at home!
Want to learn more about organic – head to the Soil Association website here or to truly immerse yourself into the world of organic growing and cooking – why not book onto one of our experiences at River Cottage HQ .
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