Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Today, I’m joined by the chef, broadcaster, food writer and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. We first got to know Hugh through his much loved River Cottage TV series and books, filmed at his River Cottage Estate on the Devon-Dorset border. His uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment, inspired a vast and loyal fanbase.

Alongside more than 20 cookery shows, he’s also tackled powerful issues in his documentary campaigns, like obesity, illegal wildlife trade, fishing and the war on plastic. He’s the author of numerous best-selling cookbooks and he’s back with a new one - Eat Better Forever. 

We talk about that, his life-changing trip to Africa which shaped his food philosophy; what it was like travelling around India for 4 months with his young family; how a close shave while filming nearly left him in a Vietnamese jail, the power of wild swimming throughout the freezing winter months, and his favourite staycation spots . All that and more coming up on the travel diaries. 


Destination Recap:

  • Aegina, Greece
  • Port Quin, Cornwall, England 
  • Epphaven Cove, Cornwall, England 
  • Southern Africa
  • Gloucestershire, England 
  • India
  • Bharatpur bird sanctuary, Rajasthan, India
  • West End Hotel, Mumbai, India 
  • River Cottage, Devon, England
  • The Bull Inn, Totnes, England 
  • Vietnam


Hugh’s new book Eat Better Forever is out now. 


Thank you Fujifilm for their support for today’s episode. Book in your free trial with the Fujifilm X-S10 here


And thank you to Lanserhof at The Arts Club. Find out more about that, and the rest of Lanserhof’s fantastic offerings here.


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To hear future episodes as soon as they are released just search for The Travel Diaries on your podcast app of choice, and hit subscribe. 

To find out who’s joining me on next week’s episode, come and follow me on Instagram, I’m @hollyrubenstein - I’d love to hear from you. 

If you can’t wait until then, there’s always the first three seasons to catch up on, from Michael Palin to Rick Stein, and Sir Ranulph Fiennes to Dev Patel. 


Thank you so much for listening, and I’ll be back next week. 


Today’s episode was recorded during the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown. It was produced by Holly Rubenstein.


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