Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34831 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-17
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 240 minutes

Customer Reviews

Just not quite the same
I am a big fan of the previous three season of River Cottage. This fourth season is just not the same. The charm is all but gone. Except for episode 10, it is just about Hugh setting up a restaurant.

The charm of the new experiences of a downshifter is all gone. The clips about growing veg have been replaced by him creating a vegetable bed. Gone is the exploration of different produce. The clips about having livestock have been replaced by the mentioning of a man who now does that for Hugh. Most of the tales of village life is gone too.

If you loved the first three seasons for the soothing stories of a downshifter, then don't buy this season. It will spoil it for you. If you don't own the first three seasons, definitely go buy them now!

Sadly it's running out of steam
Like other reviewers I am a massive fan of the River Cottage series and would also recommend the first three to anyone (and have done so on Amazon).

As has been said this new series shows how Hugh has moved from his rural idyll (out of which he was making a pretty decent buck already) into a very commercial enterprise. With that it has lost all of the personal interest and charm and is now simply a money making exercise.

I was deeply saddened as I'd looked forward to this being released. What I'd like to know is when is his excellent series (pre River Cottage) "A Cook on the Wild Side" going to be released onto DVD as that was fascinating?

If you don't already own the first three DVDs go and buy them instead of this one. If you've already got them then watch them again and don't bother with this one. You'll be very disappointed.

The clue is in the title.....
This is BEYOND River Cottage - this is about Hugh's progression from "downsizer" , to in effect, organic farmer , with a diversity of commercial activities.
It doesn't make pretensions to be like the previous three series & should be seen as a seperate project & thus, judged in a completely different way.
Charting Hugh's mission to find & convert suitable premises, in order to set up a catering enterprise ,using the best fresh, organic produce when it is "in season", it is still a very interesting series, it's just different !!
Don't buy this expecting more "Tales from the Cottage" (as it were) - this is more the story of an organic farmer setting up & expanding his business, with plenty of top recipes & some familiar faces involved along the way.
As I say, different but still fascinating.