Live webchat with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall - Thursday 15th September 1.30 - 2.30 pm

[RachelMumsnet]

To celebrate the publication of his new book Cottage Veg Every Day and accompanying Channel 4 Series which starts on Thursday 20 October 20. Hugh is joining us this Thursday (15 September) between 1.30pm and 2.30pm for a live webchat. As well as being an award-winning cookery writer and broadcaster and founder of River Cottage, Hugh is also involved in a number of campaigns including Hugh's Fish Fight, Chicken Out and Landshare.

Join us on Thursday to quiz him about his campaigning, cooking veggies and tap into his knowledge of rearing livestock, growing produce and, of course, cooking and baking. If you're unable join us on Thursday, send your advance questions to this thread.

All mumsnetters who send in questions to Hugh will be entered into a draw to win one of five copies of River Cottage Veg Every Day. We'll announce the winners post webchat.

[HorseHairKnickers]

Excellent! I loved his Fish Fight and totally agree with him :)

[HorseHairKnickers]

Didn't agree with the chicken thing though...
Not that I think chickens living in crowded conditions is good ~ I don't, but it's really a matter of cost and budget for a lot of people and even more so in this financial nightmare that most of us find ourselves in.

So, my question is this; If you buy a free range chicken and a caged (not free range) chicken, how is it possible to get more meat from the free range than the caged if they are the same weight?

I don't have a big weekly budget for food (about £30 - £35), so if I want to actually feed my children meat, it's often chicken, but never free range, so I'd be very interested in your answer please.
Thanks Hugh

[LoveBeingAMummyAgain]

Fab, love Hugh, right back to tv dinners

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

Hi Hugh,
if you see him can you say hi to my lovely husband who is at river cottage this week polishing his cooking skills. Thanks!

[ArfurBrain]

Huuuugh!
I have loved yuuuuugh since your Cook On The Wild Side days....

anyway, assuming you're not going to allow me to come and be your second wife, could you please give me some advice on my potatoes?

I have had an allotment for 7 years, but been very unlucky with my spuds. Avoided blight this year but each and every potato (Maris Piper) was attacked by what I assume is eelworm (little round holes through every one of them)
It is an open plot, traditional-ish style, not raised beds.

Any advice to prevent this problem in future years? Or I may just give up on potatoes.....:(

[GreatGooglyMoogly]

Hi Hugh,

What advice would you have for anyone wanting to set up a pudding club? Thanks :)

[crazycanuck]

Hi ya Hugh! So glad to see you here! I have all your books and cook something from them at least once a week, and am 100% behind your chicken campaign and Fish Fight. And your Axminster cafe is the bee's knees.

Anyway enough fawning, I am wondering if you have any tips on growing squash in grow bags? We live in a ground floor flat with very little outdoor space and while I had loads of success with squash when we had a veg plot, I have had no luck with them in grow bags (well, I have one softball-sized fruit on each of my Crown Prince, 2 in total). I tried butternut as well. I had 2 plants per bag; should I only have put one in each or are they just not happy in grow bags?

Thank you!

[ouryve]

Hi Hugh!

Due to the vagaries of the weather up here in the North East coast, we always end up with a heap of green tomatoes at the end of the season, and yes I do inevitably end up making a load of River Cottage Chutney with them. :o

The thing is, I'm the only person in this house who likes chutney, so while chutney making time is fast approaching, and despite giving loads of the stuff away, I've barely made any inroads into last year's batch (I only finished the batch from the year before in March!)

So, do you have any other suggestions for what I can do with my annual glut of green tomatoes?!

[NettoSuperstar]

Hi Hugh.
I've just bought your meat book and wondered which recipe would you recommend I try first for myself and 10yr old dd with a small budget.

[Kveta]

hi hugh! I love your shows, and really need to start building up a collection of your books now!

We have just bought a house with a totally bare (north east facing) garden - lawn, lawn, and more lawn. it's not very big, and has a wee raised bed at the back made with concrete slabs, so I managed to get a few plants in the week we moved, and have had a couple of potatoes, a handful of peas, and a glut of courgettes (2 plants, 45 courgettes so far, and more on the way - eek!). We've got a plum tree in the middle of the lawn, but it was only planted at the beginning of the season, so no joy this year. oh, and a fig twig, which I have high hopes for next year. I plan to dig a few veg and fruit beds to give us some gluts to look forward to in the future!!

My question is this - if you were starting a veg garden from scratch, what would be your key fruit and veg, and which would you avoid?

[BecauseImWorthIt]

Oooh lovely!

I shall think of something to ask later.

[fivegomadindorset]

Same question as Kveta.

Have been lucky and done your curing and smoking course which I loved, pigs are on their way this winter. Again starting veg from scratch, but also what fruit bushes are best and easy?

can I say a big thank you for your River Cottage Handbooks, I have nearly the whole collection and love dipping in and out of them. The walnut and honey loaf is a huge favourite here.

[midnightexpress]

Hurrah! Love your books Hugh.

My question: I'm in the process of setting up a gardening club at our primary school. Any suggestions for good things to grow with children? I have a tiny budget, and a smallish space, but it includes some giant containers. No indoor space yet. Preferably things where we can harvest before schools break up at the end of June (we're in Scotland) or which can fend for themselves during the summer hols, when we won't have access for 6-7 weeks.

[ripstheirthroatoutliveupstairs]

Me too with the growing veg from scratch. My garden faces south east, but, we have the biggest Leylandi that I can't afford to have chopped down.
What veg doesn't mind having some shade for the afternoon please?

[franke]

Hello

I need a bit of advice. I have just acquired a piece of land with no water or electricity supply. The ground seems fairly well-drained and fertile. I won't be able to go and tend crops there every day so what can I grow in terms of fruit and/or veg which doesn't need too much looking after/intensive watering?

[bagelmonkey]

Hi Hugh.
I'd like to know if there's anything 2 incompetent adults and a baby could grow to eat in an apartment with a small balcony. We have a lot of light, but it would need to be very low maintenance and safe. I was hoping for something a bit more adventurous than cress if possible. Any cooking tips would be great too.
Thanks.

[FlamingoBingo]

Hi Hugh

How exciting! I was wondering if there were any pointers you could give to a non-profit organisation local to me as to how to make their co-operative food shopping scheme really successful. They don't just buy loads of food from a wholefood wholesalers, but include produce from all sorts of different local producers as well. It's called Stroudco Foodhub?

They've asked me to give them a hand with their social media stuff, but it would be great to hear your opinion from your experiences of ethical food production and sale.

Thanks

[iklboo]

We've had good crops of potatoes, carrots & onions this year. Not so on the tomatoes & strawberries. All in pots/bags/hanging baskets.
My question is other fruit can we grow next year. We have a small north-facing yard in Manchester so pots/ baskets will have to be used.

[ArfurBrain]

alternatively, (I know, I know, one question each but I've changed my mind!) how can we persuade our council to let us keep a few chickens on our council-owned allotments? There's a bunch of us would like to do it.

[madwomanintheattic]

Hi Hugh
I would like to know what I can grow on a balcony in a veeeery short growing season? We live on the edge of the Rocky Mountains and usually get snow into April and May (over a foot for the Royal Wedding this year - pretty, but not much cop for growing), and we are already getting frosts in the morning (and snow on the mountains last week - it was rain in the valley where we are, but....)

I have three decks, and could give one over to growing during the summer, but am struggling as to how best to make the most of such a short season and small amount of space...

[SansaLannister]

Brilliant! Hugh, thanks for agreeing to this, you are definitely among fans here! :)

I'd like to ask about grown herbs, also in containers on a balcony.

I see a lot of confusing information regarding the yield from homegrown herbs - continual, need to be replanted every year, etc.

Can you recommend some herbs that will grow well in Western Scotland? Also, are supermarket-bought herbs able to successfully be planted?

[HumphreyCobbler]

Hello Hugh.

Just wanted to thank you - we have been inspired to raise and butcher our own pork thanks to you. We have just done our third lot of pigs and had a fantastic day. Pig in a Day was on repeat play

Any tips about making black pudding that slices rather than crumbles? Ours tends to disintegrate into the pan, although it tastes delicious.

[aristocat]

hello Hugh ..... i love your tv shows and your books. you are just so different in a good way - it is lovely to see someone with an honest opinion and who is not afraid to speak what they think/mean

anyhow my question is, do you have a favourite christmas recipe that you can share with us please?

[fivegomadindorset]

Can I also just add that my Aunt and Uncle were not overly impressed by the pike/carp you served in your original River Cottage series, very sorry about that

[Thingumy]

Hi.

In lieu of your new found vegetarianism,can I have a refund on your overly priced 'Meat' book?