Now in its fourth series, the River Cottage Australia farm is a hive of new activity. The filming of Series 4 wrapped up late last year and the new series goes to air on Foxtel around Easter time. The new semester of cooking schools on the farm have also just begun.
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Host Paul West is welcoming eager cooks and wannabe farmers to the property to share his knowledge and teach people how to live the River Cottage lifestyle through cooking and growing their own produce.
He also became a first-time dad to son, Otto, so to help run the farm and the cooking school he's taken on an apprentice a local guy called Harrison.
This season, Paul will be looking at ways to future proof the farm and the theme of food security will be intertwined across the series.
With that in mind, he’s taking the River Cottage Australia message on the road in Series 4 to discover new regions, meet and learn from farmers and producers who share his passion in improving food security by boosting long-term agricultural productivity.
Paul will use the knowledge he’s gained as a chef and with the help of mates, create a mobile food van. He has towed the van across the Snowy Mountains and into Canberra and down to the Riverina Region of NSW.
Along the way, he visited farms, producers, markets and cook for his new friends with the produce his caught and gathered along the way, all the time learning new skills to bring back to his own farm in Central Tilba.
The cooking school meanwhile is also underway attracting fans of the show from around Australia to Central Tilba with coordinator Kelly Eastwood in charge of the students.
Paul hosts the cooking school with the help of local identities and show regulars butcher extraordinaire Matt Christison and CWA cookery judge and master baker Nelleke Gorton.
The cooking school and the show itself are proving to be a huge boost for the local economy in Central Tilba with students spending the weekend or a few days in the region.
Tilba District Chamber of Commerce president Peter Lonergan said the television show was having a very positive impact on tourism to the area.
“We get asked on a daily basis about River Cottage and where the farm is,” Mr Lonergan said. “People come in to buy the book and DVDs and just want to know more about the show and its characters.”
The chamber is also planning a new welcome sign on the highway that will include the words: “Tilba – home of River Cottage Australia”.
River Cottage Australia this week played host to a number of food writers from publications around Australia who will be promoting the upcoming series and cooking school.
There was a Development Application notice at the entrance to the farm. We can’t tell you too much about that just yet – but stay tuned to the Narooma News!
The author of this report is also a regular on the show and again will be involved in some fishing with Paul in Series 4 while his mother Nelleke also appears in the show and is one of the cooking school teachers.
