February on the farm | All the latest news from River Cottage

Recipes, news and gardening tips 

View this email in your browser Hello, In one of my early books, 'The River Cottage Year', I wrote (with the certainty of youth!) that I hated February.  I've probably mellowed a bit, but it's still not a month I long for! The garden is all but dormant and we are stretching out the winter veg – thank goodness for brassicas!  We have to find the light and the joy where we can - and for me, this is mostly in the kitchen with my family.  There's a lot of "comfort cooking" going on, and everyone's getting involved. I'm enjoying playing with Hodmedod's British grown pulses – including their very first harvest of chickpeas. They're delicious, and I've been flinging them in hot pots (including this River Cottage cauliflower and chickpea curry and cold salads) they are great cooked, "bashed" (to break them up a bit) and tossed with shredded red cabbage, grated carrots, roughly chopped segments from a couple of easy peelers and a simple cider vinegar and olive or rapeseed oil dressing. Thank you for all your comments around Episode 1 of my latest BBC series 'Easy Ways To Live Well'. I have loved hearing about your own approaches, thoughts and tips for living a happier, healthier life, and it's been a joy to work with the fabulous duo of Steph McGovern and Dr Zoe Williams. I'll let you know if we get to do some more! Looking ahead to next month, we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Hemsley to River Cottage HQ for a five course feast on Friday 13th March. Melissa will join our Executive Chef Gelf Alderson and Head Chef Dom Moldenhauer, to celebrate the launch of her new cookbook 'Eat Green with Melissa Hemsley'. Melissa shares our passion for seasonal, sustainable ingredients, and the diverse global influences of her delicious cooking will make this a memorable feast. Do come and join us. Are your New Year's resolutions waning? Have you vowed to make changes to your life or pursue your passions? If so our Retreats later this year may help. We have a series of four residential Retreats where you can immerse yourself in wellness, drawing, gardening and nutrition. FIND OUT MORE Throughout the series, Hugh and co-presenter Steph McGovern have investigated ways to make our lives healthier and happier. They've tackled fussy eating, sedentary lifestyles and stress. If you would like to learn more about eating healthier then one of our courses or retreats may help. Catch up on BBC iPlayer. Hurrah we've made it through January! If you're slowly coming out of winter hibernation and beginning to make plans, then why not consider a mini-break to River Cottage? Book a midweek stay in our charming Farmhouse between now and the end of March and you can enjoy two nights with a sharing board dinner and a bottle of organic Prosecco from £260.  FIND OUT MORE   Melissa Hemsley's fantastic new cookbook Eat Green was released last month to critical acclaim and she kindly shared this fab recipe for Fried Chermoula Cauliflower on Herby Bean Dip with Slaw with us. If you would like to enjoy more of her great recipes, be sure not to miss her upcoming Feast at River Cottage. BOOK NOW *Photo credit Becky Craven If you have been following River Cottage for any length of time, you'll know that seasonality is pretty important to us. One of the best ways you can see this put into practice is with the Specials Menu at the River Cottage Kitchens. All of the restaurants have daily specials using the freshest seasonal ingredients. BOOK A TABLE We're delighted to introduce Adam - our new Head Gardener. However, if you have spent any time in the River Cottage Kitchen Garden you may recognise him. Adam has, in fact, worked at River Cottage for four years but now his skill and dedication have resulted in him becoming Head Gardener. He will be teaching the Get Growing courses, where he'll be imparting the wealth of his knowledge. He also has written a blog for the website where he shares his gardening top tips. Continuing the gardening topic, we're pleased to share our latest course starting this summer with geologist Eddie Bailey. You'll learn how to recognise the tell-tale signs of a sickly soil and what this means for the food we eat and how to build lasting soil fertility to optimise your growing needs.  BOOK NOW If you would like to have a go at the Chickpea and Cauliflower recipe Hugh mentioned, you can find the recipe on our website. It's a great one to make in advance or in bulk to enjoy as a quick midweek supper. Of course, you can use regular chickpeas from your nearest shop but if you can do try Hodmedod's British ones.  GET THE RECIPE If you are inspired to get in the kitchen and start cooking but are in need of some new knives. Our friends at Sabatier are offering 15% off with the code.   Shop Now Copyright © 2020 River Cottage, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in on our website or joined one of our mailing lists. Our mailing address is: River Cottage Trinity Hill Rd Axminster, Devon EX13 8TB United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.