River Cottage

[Skive]

Did anybody here watch The View From River Cottage?

I thought it was the best food program on the box. Although the presenter, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, comes across as ab it of a tosser, I think he has an excellent attitude to food.

The new series is called The River Cottage Treatment and everyweek involves teaching 'urbanites' where their food and in particular where their meat comes from. I just saw the first espisode and it amazed me how many people are happy to eat meat with no thought for where it came from. One woman couldn't buy a whole chicken from the supermarket through being too screamish, yet she listed her favourite food as chicken?

[Kermit]

He always does come across as a bit of a fop, which is a shame, because his attitude to food is spot on.

I didn't see this programme but his attitude has always been that its important to know that meat comes from animals, and that its important that children are made fully aware of that link as soon as possible. If you forget where the meat comes from then the factory farms can treat the animals so badly before they die. That's something that I agree with- squeamishness means that animals are treated worse.

[lipsy]

i used to watch it. it was a good programme.
when is this new one on then? i love stuff like that! puts me fof eating meat though. i watched that "where does your xmas dinner come from?" programme on xmas eve last year and i had to block it all out from my memory!

on the subject of food programmes: how shit are those 2 on bbc and itv on saturdays? load of poncey chefs umming and aaahing and tasting wine.

[Wyetry]

One woman couldn't buy a whole chicken from the supermarket through being too screamish, yet she listed her favourite food as chicken?

Weirdo mind you they are bloody difficult to bone (or maybe i just have crap knives). My sister in-law winds me up constantly by saying that she doesnt' eat anyting with 4 legs as its cruel but is happy to chugg down on a chicken who probably had a far more horrible life than a beef cow (and doen't even get me started on dairy farming).

People should definatly think far more about where there food comes from because I think a lot of people not just vegetarians think mistakenly that all meat production is cruel but whilst some types of production are horrible not all of them are - for example beef cattle have a pretty nice life on balence they get to chill out in a big field with all their friends and they get to stay with their mothers for the first part of their life and aren't troubled too much by the farmer.

[kangoo]

Beef is probably the most free range of all meats there's not that much problem with the way they are farmed (although lots is still evil). Chickens is a different story. I sometimes contemplate eating meat again, and particularly fish and I think in some circumstances in the future I probably will, but the main thing that stops me is messing around with it when its not cooked, cos it is a bit minging! Especially fish. When I worked in a hotel the chef held up this MASSIVE fish (about a foot and a half long) and all its insides fell out on the table! It was seriously gross. I was thinking I'd sooo not want to eat that if I'd see what just hapopened. I'd never eat an animal if I wouldn't touch it when it was raw. That's the problem, people dissasociate the meat in their plate with the animal and end up turning a blind eye to cruelty. People should know where their food comes from, maybe then they'd take it for granted a lot less

[Replicant]

I dont have a tv

but I have seen the river cottage before, did like it very much he comes across as a bit of a toff because he is! but a likeable one at that.

[katralla]

ha ha. that's a bit strange. I like things that I wouldn't do the preparation for. I like my local cinema, but I wouldn'r get attacked by pigeons to change a reel; I like having a plumbed in toilet, but I wouldn't wade around in shit to unplug drains etc. This is why we pay for stuff.

[Skive]

ha ha. that's a bit strange. I like things that I wouldn't do the preparation for. I like my local cinema, but I wouldn'r get attacked by pigeons to change a reel; I like having a plumbed in toilet, but I wouldn't wade around in shit to unplug drains etc. This is why we pay for stuff.

But reels and drains don't suffer when people are ignorant to how they work.

[spartaalbion]

I completly agree to the point that people should be made aware of how there £1.99 vac packed chickens are treated. This is why local traders should be supported more as more often than not there produce is produced a lot more ethically.
Being involved in the food trade myself I have taken an interest in where my produce is sourced, being such that I have visited slaughterhouses etc, gruesome as it is by large the animals do not suffer unjustly (in my experience anyway). If your not prepared to watch an animal die then you are not responsible enough to eat it in my eyes.

[kangoo]

But reels and drains don't suffer when people are ignorant to how they work.

[katralla]

fair point! But, there's a difference between knowing how something works and being willing to do it yourself though.

[budda]

fair point! But, there's a difference between knowing how something works and being willing to do it yourself though.

I dont think even Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is expecting everyone to start breeding their own chickens, but getting involved with food is important, it tastes a lot better and is largely cheaper

In relation to the show, I was really pissed off by that blokes comment about boiling up bones for soup 'its like something out of the stone age' I do that and its the only way to make really good soup.

[Skive]

In relation to the show, I was really pissed off by that blokes comment about boiling up bones for soup 'its like something out of the stone age' I do that and its the only way to make really good soup.

Something my mother used to do...
After Christmas stick all the turkey bones in the pressure cooker, cook for 30 mins. Strain the liquid out and bin the bones. Put the liquid back in the cooker with veg (carrots, potatoes, celery), add left over turkey bits, add salt & pepper to taste and cook for 5-10 minutes.

You canthgen server but you can also blend this until smooth to ceate a much thicker and heavier soup - the the way like it anyway.

[budda]

Exactly, its not hard to do, just chop the chicken or turkey up with a big knife into chunks, then slosh in some water and boil away. Its easily a hundred times better than any stock you can buy.

[Replicant]

Exactly, its not hard to do, just chop the chicken or turkey up with a big knife into chunks, then slosh in some water and boil away. Its easily a hundred times better than any stock you can buy.

I generally buy chicken thigh instead of breast, then save the bones and when I have a few I'll make some stock with them and use it as a soup base works well. especially as chicken thigh's usually cheaper than breast... (helps keep the food bills down, being a student an' all! )

I tend to keep the skin with the bone too, stock turns out reaaaally fatty, but after sticking in the fridge over night you can scoop the fat right off and all's well. I just figured it'd add to the flavour of the stock leaving the skin in