River Cottage in East Devon

Visited for one of the “Great Feast” events at River Cottage HQ Luckily a sunny evening for the downhill walk to River Cottage. It is a beautiful walk in the early evening sunshine (not sure I’d feel the same on a rainy evening 🤔) Quick mention that without a booking you can’t walk down to River Cottage HQ. Once at River Cottage you are free to walk around & explore the gardens, which are beautiful. You are seated on long shared dining tables. Name places are placed along the table so you know where you’re sitting. You are invited into the kitchens throughout your dining experience (which I personally found interesting) The tasting menu is phenomenal. Each course beautifully presented & a delight to the taste buds. It’s not a cheap experience, but I would say worth every penny. Word of advice, when we left it was pitch black so walking uphill on gravel paths was a somewhat “interesting” experience. Again not sure how I’d feel if it was pouring with rain or if I was with someone with mobility issues. We were informed walking to & from was the only option 🤷‍♀️

We’ve visited before but on this occasion a word or two about the excellent value for money this venue provides; as well as as the established menu choices, the specials board treated diners to a choice of meat or vegetarian inspired pies, each with a distinct Mediterranean twist. The meat ball, olive and tomato (pie) competed with the Mergeuz spiced squash with chickpea and apricot (veggie option) - both of which came in a (very) generous individual oven dish topped and sealed with a glazed shortcrust pastry; Each complimented with a selection of veg topped with a fresh pesto dressing (as pictured) Excellent value as I found the pie might easily have been shared - nonetheless a very wholesome meal. A word too about the coffees here as we had no appetite (left) for deserts so opted for coffee instead. Both choices (a latte and Mocha) prepared to order and presented as sizeable cups (perhaps at least 10oz?) of creamy delicious coffee which rounded off our visit delightfully. No hesitation to endorse this venue which commands spectacular views from its vantage point over Kilmington and the valley towards Musbury/Whitford towards Seaton. Friendly attentive staff who accommodated our impromptu visit with no hesitation. Truly a proper dining experience with an eye to responsibly and locally sourced produce. Every bit as good as Hugh himself no doubt intended.

Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. The homemade sausage was as good as you’ll ever get and the curried Crown Prince squash soup with sourdough was delicious. The gently laid back atmosphere was perfect for a Sunday brunch/lunch.

Everyone enjoyed the meal and the staff were excellent. Sam's introduction of the menu was brilliant, some of us thought it was a murder mystery evening, I will say no more. All of the staff are so friendly and helpful and being able to go into the kitchen and watch them preparing our meal. Steve and the serving team were brilliant too. A fabulous experience

We visited RC for breakfast and booked in advance as we had dogs and wasn’t sure if that would be ok. We arrived and were greeted by a smiley waitress who showed us to our seats. The breakfast menu was very limited and quite expensive but we were aware of who owned the premises and how popular it would be so expected it. We all had poached eggs on sourdough toast with 2 of us having a sausage and another person having mushrooms. We were all a little disappointed with the meals and felt the high prices did not justify the meals. The sourdough in particular consisted of one very slim slice each which was toasted but so hard it splintered when you tried to cut it. The sausage was tasty but when you are paying an extra £3.50 for one sausage, that is expected. The service was good, coffee was nice but if I’m paying £14 for eggs on toast and a single sausage, I expect it to be really good. Overall we were underwhelmed and left feeling a little hungry and a little poorer.

We stopped for lunch on the way to the coast. The place was busy with few tables available. We waited for a long time before we were acknowledged by a team member. The food was very tasty but we found the portions rather small for their price. For example, there could have been more lentils with the sausage or more veg with bubble & sgueak.

Booked in for breakfast. Unfortunately with people waiting in the car park, partly due to the closed sign on the door at 9.10am. We realised the door was open went inside to find out it was open and informed everyone in car park. Breakfast was good. The sausage was amazing. Child’s breakfast was ok but the chocolate milk was very bitter. Very expensive breakfast for not a lot.

Was excited to go to this ‘upmarket’ cafe but we were disappointed….unfortunately the oven had broken so we had to wait a bit .. so we were given bread.. I thought they would bring a basket of home baked bread ..we each got a slice of toasted bread which had already been buttered.. weird! was it a day old? The mains bubble and squeak was tasty with a tiny amount of greens … I had been looking forward to a whole bowl of seasonal veg but that wasn’t on offer… It was boiling hot and after 45 mins we asked if we could have an umbrella which were all sitting propped up at the cafe… surprising they hadn’t put them up for lunch time.. staff were pleasant, service slow… if they upped their culinary skills a bit more and offered greater variety , doesn’t have to be a large menu.. just some healthier options Water could have been iced .. quite basic Lovely views.. could have been even better with a few tweaks.. come on HFW

Great food ideal for a light light lunch Fantastic service staff very helpful and friendly Vegan and vegetarian options

What a massive disappointment. Was I expecting too much. £10 for a small sausage in a bun. Beetroot relish tasteless. Waited to be seated whilst staff talked amongst themselves. would have spent that time looking in the "store" but blinked and missed it on the way in This was our last day after a week's stay and truly the worst food experience. This place is solely trading on the HFW name. Like many others before me, there is no way I would visit again

We are die hard RC fans and I booked this trip as part of my boyfriends 30th birthday present. We travelled all the way from Sweden to get here and it did not disappoint, I would return tomorrow if I could. Our first visit was for the Chef's dining experience in the evening. We were pleasantly greeted by Izzy who's bubbliness set the town for the evening ahead. The intimately set dinner was sensational and I have never tasted anything like the dishes that were presented. Conor is an outstanding chef and his story telling regarding the ingredients is captivating. Conor also was happy to answer any of our questions both before and after dinner regarding growing, live stock, his history and of course the experience of working at such a legendary location. Honestly, for us, it was a dream come true to be able to come to river cottage, eat right from the source and reflect on the winter nights we watched river cottage at home. The next day we had to return. Although there was a wedding on so we did not traipse too far towards the farm. The short walk we took was beautiful, scenic and again, very special. We were fortunate enough to pet the pigs!. There was no way we were leaving without visiting the kitchen & store. We stocked up on the local, fresh and organic products on offer such as honey and different stocks. We would have loved some tshirts but they did not have any in my boyfriends size. We could not leave without trying the cream tea. It was delicious and my first time having clotted cream- it was a real treat! We were devastated to leave RC but without a doubt we will be back with our extended family in the very near future

Mushrooms on toast a total wasting money. Toast was so hard. Mushrooms no taste at all. But 3 others in our party really enjoyed their food. But I was not charged for mine! Thank you for that. Desserts were enjoyed.

The food here is excellent, and from what I can tell all of it locally sourced. I had the mackerel special of the e day, and it was delicious. The meal was well presented, of excellent quality and a good quantity. I was very satisfied. My wife and brother both had the bubble and squeak with added venison sausage. My brother having the gluten free option. Unlike many places, the gluten free option didn’t look crap. It was just as nice looking and tasting. Service was slow, but we had no where to go so didn’t care. I think they were struggling with staffing issues. Coffee was good, and the place was full of great river cottage swag.

I was staying up the road in Compyne with some friends and decided to drop by the Farm shop, I started off with intrigue! I was on my motorbike and firstly pulled into the carpark which is absolutely lethal, very slippery white chalk gravel which would have you on the floor at the first application of the front brake, so if you are a motorcyclist be very aware! So surviving this experience I puled up in a safe place. The shop looks lovely with a great view and a field of daisies out the back. Welcoming chickens rush over to say hello! Entering the building you would expect lovely down to earth querky shop, but no its an overpriced sanitary feeling staffed by zombish staff which I presumed spoke but not sure. I purchased some coffee beans and left before the atmosphere (or lack of) put me in a coma. I'm sure the Farm and restaurant are great, but will not be back. Again risked life and limb trying to get out of the carpark on the bike.

Decided to stop for a late lunch after seeing the signs off the main road. Looks very attractive as you park and walk in with amazing views over the valley. On entering you have to wait to be seated. Probably about 10 people eating inside the café. Young server nodded at us then walked away! We waited for him to return and we asked to sit outside to admire the views. Another server was clearing a table and said we could sit there. We waited and waited, and eventually she came out with the menus and apologised that she didn't see us, even though she had cleared the table for us! More people were seated and orders taken. I was intending to get up and leave but she came back out and finally took our order. After another while she revisited to inform my friend that her choice was unavailable but did not produce another menu so we took her suggestion. After a while my friend's meal arrived but we were still waiting on our drinks. I've never been anywhere that serves the food before the drinks! Anyway the drinks finally arrived along with my piece of cake just as my friend was finishing her meal. When we left we paid at the counter, it was really unclean with scraps of cake, whilst my friend was making a payment there was no attempt to clear the crumbs. The shop was very disappointing indeed, I had expected there would be fresh produce available. The toilets were really messy. Whilst the food was amazing, we will not be revisiting. A very disappointing experience indeed. Maybe we just had an off day when new staff were working.

To be honest..we are local and are v happy to say,our dining experience was v good.. the meal was fairly priced extremely flavoursome and good size proportions.Great service and a happy relaxed environment..were coming back next week with friends..the soup was divine..main course v good and a proper bottle if sparkling local mineral water v good value.well done Hugh and staff..💖

Very casual with a sincere and warm-heart'd Hugh in attendance, a little chaotic in the rain with not everyone finding their way to pre-dinner drinks and some disappointed faces at the end looking round for tea/coffee/digestive or even cheese and crackers - the wine list was also a little limited but this is just splitting hairs - the evening was GREAT and the food was fantastic - would we book again? looking for tickets now...

Excellent service from the Brunch Crew, I can recommend the all day breakfast. The setting is truly superb. The only problem we had was the sat nav threw a wobbly and took us across country up some really tight tracks.

Very welcoming staff greeted you when entering the cafe, which had superb views over the Axe Valley. A carafe of water was brought to the table without asking for it. Hot chocolate had full flavour taste and was perfect to go with Hot Cross Bun and Fruit Scone.

I'm really conflicted writing this review. We came for one of the evening events having been to these about three times before (and absolutely loving them). We were really looking forward to it based on previous visits but felt it didn't quite hit the mark. Having been before we had been used to the staff and then tractor that would meet you in the car park to take you down to the venue but unfortunately they don't run the tractor anymore. Great shame as that was a great part of the experience. In fact there was no one there to meet us at all. Us and the other couple in the car park went back through our email to see what we needed to do...follow a path which actually then ends and walk through a very muddy slippery field! This had no lighting so out came the phone torches. It was awful. How I didn't face plant I have no idea! Finally the muddy wet field joined the actual track. Why hadn't they just instructed us to walk the whole length of the track instead of the muddy slippery field? We were passed a couple of times by an old 4x4 type car. We then realised and later found out that this vehicle meets you at the top to take you down! We had no idea of this, there was no one at the top to inform us of this either. We were all gutted that we were already muddy and could have avoided it. We went to the yurt where we were greeted with much needed beautiful Mulled Cider, a fantastic little soup and a canapé. After this we all walked down to the venue for the main food event. This was vastly quieter than the previous 3 visits we had had here. Maybe a sign of the times? Who knows, but about half the amount of people. The food was nice and tasty, but not amazing like we had had on previous visits. Some of the combinations worked but we personally felt some didn't. For example the artichoke sticky toffee pudding. As expected it was small portions. This was expected as that's the type of thing it is and we have no issue with that but we felt sure we had had more on previous visits. We left a little hungry which we hadn't done before. We also seemed to remember that we used to get coffee at the end but not this time although there was a warming brandy (?) type drink? Not that those of us driving could have it so it would have been nice to have had something else. Also seem to remember that a member of staff would come out at the end to thank us all for coming, hope we had enjoyed our night etc etc. But not this time. We were all left sort of wondering what to do, if we needed to wait for anything etc. We did manage to make use of the 4x4 on the way back up to the car park luckily. All in all we would say it wasn't as good as previous visits. The previous visits were well worth the price as it was always such an experience. I'm just not quite sure this time really hit the mark for money.

We live local to RC Kitchen and this has been yet another disappointing visit - this time we didn’t even get to enjoy coffee and cake! We had checked that the RC Kitchen was open, and headed out on our walk there (approx 3.5 miles) looking forward to brunch. When we arrived there was a notice stuck to the front door stating that it was a meet and greet with Hugh himself this morning, (26th January 2024) offering free T&C and cake - lovely we thought…its a super sunny chilly day and we can sit outside and enjoy the view with a nice cappuccino and cake and even maybe say Hallo to Hugh. Unfortunately, yet again, upon arrival it was a chilly welcome with at least 5 members of staff standing at the coffee counter, Hugh chatting to some customers and no-one coming over to welcome us. Once someone did finally come over, the lack of welcome was a little frustrating but when we were told that there were no tables available yet there were at least 20 seats outside on the deck overlooking the beautiful Ax Views and in full winter sun, we were pretty taken aback. So asking if we could sit outside the answer was unfortunately not, I explained that we were happy to buy our coffee and cake so we could sit outside as we weren’t aware of the event (even though it clearly stated on the door anyone could “drop in” and no reservations were needed) but that was also met with a non committal statement that we could ‘mingle’ and have cake and coffee in the RC Kitchen even though there was no where to sit…..We decided to leave. What is most frustrating is that there is no empowerment for the staff at all - this isn’t the first time we have visited and had extremely poor service - previously with my mother and her partner where it took forever to get our coffee and scones and sandwich, the waitress said “I am sorry, I really feel that we havent given you our attention - even though we were sitting at the table right in front of the kitchen!”. The fact that she actually voiced it to us was shocking in itself, and then to do nothing to apologise further was an insult in itself. But again, due to the RC Kitchen being local we thought we would give it another go as we were hoping to try the new seasonal menu, as for the past two years its been pretty much the same menu so in the hope that this was being revamped and potentially that the service would be better - esp with Hugh being there today, we were greatly disappointed and this has confirmed that we wont be visiting again and will not recommend it again either. Coming from 30 years of 5 Star hospitality background, my husband and I both know that taking care of the customer comes first every time, its not difficult to train staff and empower them to give great service and be able to think and solve problems themselves - its down to good management role modelling and a management team that take the time to teach, support and give feedback to the team to ensure that the establishment is not resting on its famous owners laurels. Such a shame as its local and our ethos is to support local. But not at the sacrifice of continual poor service and poor customer service.

We are long time fans of the show.As fans to stay/experience staying in the Cottage was excellent.But describing where we stayed-the master ensuite bedroom as in a B and B is a bit misleading.Certainly the ingredients for our breakfast were provided but to access a provided cooked breakfast would have required a 15 minute walk up from the Cottage to the Shop/Cafe.And on 2 days of our stay the Shop was closed .Perhaps different if we’d had a 4 wheel drive.On arrival also it appeared they weren’t really ready for us.Both jams were almo empty and the front door key we were given was the w wrong key.On complaint though these items were promptly fixed.So excellent if you’re a fan not so if you’re not

The staff were very friendly and helpful and views stunning. If only the food had been the same. We took friends from France and we’ve been looking forward to it for ages. Very random menu where it seemed breakfast and lunch dishes were mixed up in one menu with not much choice of either. We didn’t expect an extensive menu however we did expect a decent lunch menu. Two of us had smoked haddock kedgeree which was delicious, however lacked very much smoked haddock! Dessert choices were cake of the day or affogato (made with yoghurt ice cream) three of us chose cake of the day which had obviously been sitting around for some time and was very dry and the outside bits couldn’t be eaten, it would have been slightly better with a bit of cream or ice-cream!! .However they make very good coffee!! We all felt that the place was trading on the celebrity name and we wouldn’t go back or recommend it. I’ve given the two points for the friendliness of the staff and stunning views.

I went here last month as well and I hated the meatballs and my kids didn’t like the macaroni cheese - this time the scones fell apart when cut and the members of our group that had the brownie left it as there was a flavour of soil and vinegar. Feels a little like they have let the quality go. Staff are great but pricy hence the extra star

Long table Sunday lunch was a real treat. Lovely food great atmosphere and excellent service. Leisurely service added to the overall atmosphere of relaxed dining. Dietary requirements were seamlessly catered for. Nice to meet other guests, there were 45 in total. The surroundings are beautiful and the views from the farm are spectacular across the Devon countryside. If you have any accessibility issues make sure you tell them in advance as there is quite a steep walk to get to the barn for the lunch venue, they have a land rover service to assist any guest with difficulties.

Saved the best till last! Visited on our last day, and didn’t have very high hopes after listening to some of the locals, so glad we ignored them and took a chance. Friendly, attentive service in a beautiful location. We both opted for different breakfasts. I had the sour dough, with poached eggs, bacon and sausage and my partner had the kedgeree. Both were delicious. Was the breakfast expensive at £40 for two of us with drinks, maybe?! But it was served piping hot, the ingredients were of an amazing quality and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks for a lovely couple of hours.

Started with the lady very dark hair who greeted you as you arrived in the courtyard, friendly lovely chatty lady offering spiced rum welcome drink very nice. Sat at the long table next to the chefs father and mother very nice people then found out as non meat eater are reservation was for a meat meal agin lovely lady with dark hair sorted out no fuss came back to inform me it’s all been sorted service top mark,Barman young guy who trains with Bristol bears very informative about the drinks again top marks The bread baked on-site Amazing the home made butter again Amazing. The starter arrived squash etc this was without doubt best starter I have tasted in a long time! Main meal cod with a green sauce 10 out of 10 with lovely roasted new potatoes, such a good combination. Desert ice cream cake plum Omg. finished with truffles and coffee The service on the mark every time, Timing perfect, not too quick or too long between courses. Like to say the staff made this a great experience but it was beaten by the food along with great service.

purchased a voucher for £250 that we weren’t able to to use 3 years later after disruption during covid. Place used to be super friendly but clearly become a bit money grabbing and overpriced.

Disappointing . Although we were sat inside we were plagued by wasp’s coming in through the open doors. Some of the food was ok but the fish pie very watery and not a lot of fish, the macaroni cheese not much sauce , very disappointing. Two different chocolate brownies advertised one with beetroot at £4.50 one without at £3.50 only to be told it was the same brownie at two different prices. When we came to pay there where drinks added on to the bill that we hadn’t had . Service not very good . Looking forward to a treat for lunch only to leave very disappointed.

Excellent venue and very good service, My advice is do not follow satnave unless you are 100% sure it is accurate.

Amazing setting and great to be able to take the dog. We went for the breakfast menu which reads really well, but left it towards the end of the service (11:15 when breakfast stops at 11:30). Food came out and looked really good, but was...

An absolute shambles… Whatever has happened to River Cottage kitchen and store? We live locally, and it’s been a good few months since we last visited with family and we had a great lunch outside looking out across the valley. Great food, great ambience. We...

Wonderful experience, great location and good food. Hope to return & stay at the cottage next time. Beautiful Devon countryside 😊

Such a fun and imaginative menu. You can’t book so be prompt for lunch at 12. Staff were attentive and calm despite loads of people waiting. Lunches were reasonably priced. We had the rarebit which was very filling and delicious. It had a lovely accompanying...

An absolutely amazing,amazing surprise from my husband. From the start it was a lovely atmosphere, a walk around the herbs and veg garden, a fab cocktail, Hugh was there himself chatting away...walked down to the barn, we could have accepted a lift but it was...

My fiancé and I chose river cottage for our long awaited wedding. It’s important to note that we aren’t the most conventional couple when it comes to planning a wedding. He lives in Prague, I live in the United States and we decided to marry...

We took the 4 day cookery course in mid June and it was faultless. We stayed in the cottage annex which was comfortably snug and just 20 yards from the cookery school building. The farm and vegetable gardens looked amazing with an emphasis on sustainability...

This is a lovely spot, with stunning views and a gentle ambience. It was a bit chilly on the day we visited so we ate inside; if warmer, the balcony would have been tempting. We came for lunch and our food ranged from superb to...

Went here for the farm house lunch, not to be missed up with the cafe. There was 13 of us on one table, we didn’t know the others. Absolutely wonderful. A fantastic experience. Food and service 110% staff go above and beyond. Chef Connor greeted...

I did the 4 day cookery course absolutely fantastic cooked an enormous array of food all of which we either ate or took home with us. All the chefs were understanding and informative, the ingredients all measured out and miraculously on our stations when we...

The Long Table lunch was fantastic. It included a delicious 3-course menu with side dishes and freshly baked bread in a beautiful barn venue. The kitchen was open to visitors throughout the entire event and the staff were exceptional with their service and super friendly...

Disappointed Tiny cup of tea from a pot that's filled just enough. Tiny latte mostly froth. Slow service. Ordered item and waitress ask if it was even on menu. I pointed to the board by till. Sausage was lovely but I'm afraid it ends there...

Such disappointment calling in for a cool soft drink. Arriving at 4.30 we enquired with the receptionist if we were too late, she said they closed at 5 pm so we were fine and go through to find a table. En route a waitress stopped...

A week ago today we went to have breakfast at River Cottage HQ. It was a real disappointment. The sausage was ok, the poached eggs were ok but the bacon, well I’m not sure what happened. It looked like it had been pre-cooked and then...

Summer shindig! Very disappointing after previous events at HQ. Were requested not to bring any food or drinks to the event but we were expected to join very long queues for both! Managed to buy a cold vegan pasty which they then very quickly ran...

Summer shin dig Really, £17 pp crammed into a small field checked if we had water bottles told to empty them Qued to get in for 30 minutes qued for a drink for 40 minutes, captive audience All about making money under the banner of...

The rest of the River Cottage Empire including restaurants in Axminster and Winchester having contracted since Covid, operations are centred upon River Cottage itself behind which a barn provides the setting for occasional evening feasts whilst breakfasts and lunches are served in the kitchen and...

Excellent breakfast. Good value for money. Friendly staff. Made reservations. Will be back. If the weather is good I would recommend sitting outside on the terrace.

The 18 person lunch at the cottage (not the cafe) is excellent. 3 courses chosen for you from seasonal produce. Our chef (lady from Italy) was very good at explaining the individual ingredients and the items chosen from around the farm. Overall an enjoyable experience

I attended the one day Get Growing course and can thoroughly recommend it. Our tutor, Adam Crofts, was a former Head Gardener at River Cottage and he was brilliant. I learnt so much and can't wait to put everything into practice. Everyone was friendly and...

We had lunch at the Kitchen and store and found the manager very pleasant. However the food , which RC prides itself on was awful :-( The fishcakes had very little flavour and was mainly lumpy potato, the sourdough cheddar cheese sandwich was very tough...

Great service alongside tasty food makes this a special treat. We attended a long table feast in April 2023. The welcome and service, from start to finish was genuine and warm. Chef explained the menu clearly and the food was excellent. Well done team RC

I loved my visit to River Cottage! Went for lunch and the food surpassed my expectations! I’m gluten free and vegetarian so it can be tricky finding suitable options that are appealing- here did not disappoint! I fancied the ‘Bubble and Squeak’ but realised it...

I attended a Pig in a Day course. I was met by very welcoming staff, was fed wonderful food all day and learned how to butcher a pig, so all in all, excellent value for money and a brilliant day out.

Just a quick coffee stop en route from Seaton to Axminister, with time to enjoy the fine view from the little resto. Americano was spot on. A piece of cake sounded good too and there was sticky ginger on offer. No worries as they say...

Having previously taken the four day River Cottage course, I returned for a weekend of fermentation courses with a friend I made on the original course. On Saturday, I took the Ferment the Seasons course with Rachel de Thample which was incredible. I was somewhat...

Just enjoyed the best ever birthday treat - a day at River Cottage. The food was some of the most flavoursome I’ve ever tasted - the absolute best was a pickled pear and cabbage salad: words cannot do it justice. River Cottage’s very own sparkling...

How nice to revisit RC and the new Kitchen Shop and Cafe at the top of Trinity Hill overlooking the most fabulous East Devon views. We enjoyed the March £5 weekday breakfast offer. A warm welcome from Noah awaited us and we were seated in...

We travelled 13 miles to have breakfast at this well known location. We had a friendly reception and the restaurant was great with lovely views. The breakfast menu was very limited but we decided to try the the poached eggs with sausage and bacon on...

Lovely friendly staff, great service. Location has great views but it was cold inside. Fishcake special was mostly mash, anaemic-looking with very little fish - and cold. Very poor value for money at £16! Dessert was a ‘Frumble’ so I anticipated a lovely fruit crumble-type...

We have been here many times and enjoyed ourselves so thought this would be the perfect way to celebrate New Years Eve after not being together last year. Unfortunately, it was a HUGE disappointment and we will never return. The service from the waitresses was extremely poor, getting a drink required calling out and vigorous waving. The food was disappointing - cold, undercooked and the staff did not ask if everything was OK so no opportunity to get a replacement or express concerns. We left before midnight as even the live music couldn't keep up there to see the new year in. We haven't seen live music in so long and we're very excited but the two men did not engage with the audience or read the room and their music fell flat. This was the sixth time we have been here and this experience was so disappointing, so lack luster, so lacking in effort to make it special (it was new year's eve after all and we had paid a significant amount of money) that we could never return.

This is the 4th event we have been to at River Cottage, unfortunately it will be our last. At £260 for 2 people plus extra for drinks we left feeling rather flat and disappointed. I have left feedback via a form they email out after the event, but have heard nothing back from them, so have now decided to leave this review. Please note the drivers to and from the carpark and the barn were excellent. Also the causes of this feedback is not due to covid restrictions.We arrived and were greeted outside with a small cup of mulled wine. Had to stand in the cold and damp mist until they opened up the barn for us to go into. They had lit a firepit, but that was all. no lights, no cover, no real effort made.One fish cause smelt very fishy and was undercooked, I like my fish not to be overcooked but this was raw. My wife did not eat any of the dish, the waiting staff just took it away without asking if it was ok. In fact they never checked if the food was ok. We had very tiny crunchy raw potato with the mutton dish. Overall the food was disappointing, lots of small dishes and canapés, but nothing that made it worth the money or special. A Sunday roast would have been more satisfying.The band had a terrible playlist and did not read or engage with the room. It was silent on the build up to midnight. We were in fact tempted to leave before midnight, but thought this would have made too much of a statement. We left just after instead, even though it went on for another hour.The waiting staff did not clear empty glasses away, one even knocked my empty beer can and still did not take it away.They did not ask people to wear masks as they entered, they did not check if people had done a lateral flow test like they requested on an email. A number of people were coughing inside, walking around without masks on, it did not feel safe.They charged a premium, even at half the price I would have still been very disappointed with this event. It is also disappointing they did not get back to me after I sent this feedback to them.

I went there this year, it was a birthday present from my Dad. I went there with some of my close friends and I was relieved afterwards that I didn't go solo. The lady who was running the course was awfully passive aggressive. She wasn't well organised as she forgot to cancel an organised Fair she was supposed to attend and proceeded to take it out on the group especially when you put it into perspective how much the course actually costs.I really went in with an open mind and wanting to enjoy myself. It was beyond disappointing!By the end of completing the cooking for the day. The women signed in relief and announced she is looking forward to having a smaller group tomorrow. In that moment when I reflected on my experience - I never felt so welcomed from start to finish. It's the most unprofessional business I have EVER experienced. Good luck to anyone brave enough to go there! Hope yours is better...

We were so looking forward to our visit to River Cottage HQ as we have followed Hugh FW for many years through his cookery programmes and campaigns. I don’t do complaining, but feel I need to give an honest review of my stay here. I have just returned from an overnight stay at River Cottage HQ with my husband. Check-in is between 3-6pm. You park your car on the top car park next to the road, call the cottage reception and wait to be collected and driven to the main house. First impressions are the courtyard is boring, it needs some welcoming colour of flowers. We were shown to our double room with en-suite facilities. The bedroom is minimalist which is fine, but don’t expect any frills. No welcome card, biscuits or bottled water which would have been a nice touch. The breakfast menu consists of bread, butter, yoghurts and jam. There is also stale granola on offer, in jars that could do with a good wipe! The lounge is functional but not very cosy and inviting. No TV, which is fine but a few board games would have been welcomed especially as you are likely to be there for a good few hours having checked in during the afternoon. The ‘kitchen garden’ is very tired. There are plenty of vegetables growing but the beds need a good weeding and general tidy up. There is no signage, no labels to the beds, how do ‘non gardeners’, students of the course know what they are looking at? And how is this neglected main part of the ethos going to inspire anyone? The cottage paint is peeling from the walls, the window frames are rotten! The heating was great though!We, my husband and I asked what time they ran the car service back to our car. This stops at 7pm when all staff leave. There are NO staff onsite overnight. We went out for dinner and thankfully we had brought our wellies for the return walk back to the cottage over fields and then down the rural farm track. Oh, and bring a torch. We shared the cottage with 2 delightful sisters who were staying the night as they were attending the cookery course the next day. I think they would have appreciated a few frills as they did not venture out for dinner. If you don’t want to venture back out once you have arrived, please note there is No food on offer - not even a cheese board. You can when booking pre order a charcuterie board. The accommodation is full most of the year, the cookery school booked out, weddings take place at the weekend, the books, the TV programmes, surely some of this money could be reinvested in the business after all, it is an expensive experience to stay at RCHQ and it should be an expensive to be remembered for the right reasons. It seems that they use the TV and HFW’s name to generate interest in the farm and suck you in but when you actually get there the question is ‘What is the RiverCottage HQ experience?We were lucky, we shared the cottage with 2 lovely ladies, you may not be so lucky. This could be something so much more than it is.

We were really looking forward to visiting RC HQ being appreciative of Hugh FW food ethos and reading of the experience. As we arrived I asked my husband to take a photo of me at the entrance but we decided not as the sign was extremely worn with a letter missing. Walking down the glorious valley to the HQ was stunning. We were greeted with a glass of SPANISH bubbles which quite shocked me as we have had wonderful local wines at the canteen in Axminster. We are close to Lyme Bay vinery! It was really unpleasant and I discreetly poured it away. We had an hour to look around and frankly thought the grounds shabby with plenty of weeds there is wild and there is neglected, this was the latter. The kitchen garden was lovely but took max 10 mns to see and no produce or River Cottage items for sale.The meal was exceptionally good and we loved the description of our meal by the chef. All the staff were welcoming and friendly. Overall though disappointed the place feels as if it is running on the name and needs smartening up.

From the moment you arrive at the car park and descend on foot through fields to the farm it is clear that this is more than just about lunch! Greeted with a glass of nettle infused prosecco you are invited to explore the pig pens and vegetable gardens as well as take in the cookery school.Lunch takes around two hours to enjoy a selection of delicious food which the head chef explains before service begins. We had a gazpacho of fresh cucumber and tomato with smoked hake, followed by a main of hogget and pork with delicious vegetables finished off with a gorgeous take on brownies. Nice wine list at sensible prices too. Recommended.

A long awaited family birthday celebration which did not disappoint us. We booked for October and the. Due to the changes with Covid rearranged for today. The person who helped us rearrange our booking could not have been more helpful. We had a fantastic lunch from incredible waiters and the chef. We enjoyed the gardens and the children in our party loved the skittles and stream

Great food, fresh ingredients. Layout of restaurant warm and inviting and nice atmosphere in there. Service from Jay was exceptional.

We was greeted by Holly who was very courteous and clearly was very customer focused,.Right let’s get to the positives and onto the food, it was a cold starter that Roseanne the chef explained in her introduction as they had decided to make in view of the very hot weather we was experiencing. It was delicious, the flavours just seemed more intense with it being cold, the presentation was excellent, with flowers from the garden, brilliant full marks from me.The main was lamb, which was cooked two ways one was slow cooked and wrapped in chard and the second offering was leg of lamb, cooked just as I like it with it being pink. The selection of side vegetables was more than enough and actually in our party we couldn’t finish them all. Everything cooked was scrumptious and very tasty.The dessert was a work of art with the individual effort that had evidently gone into each dish was clear to see. The different tastes that was on the plate just jumped out in your mouth, I could have eaten at least another two, they were that good !!!The service was impeccable with the waiting staff and we didn’t feel rushed at all for the 3+ hours we was there.I really enjoyed our meal and having been to the Axminster kitchen, I can’t believe it’s the same company behind the two given how different our experience was.

Well it’s awesome, right? The cottage garden with fresh ingredients and the story of how the asparagus was picked a few hours before it was served. Yes, but all of this has to be tempered with a question of whether it creates great food. Mostly it does, but sometimes it doesn’t. The executive chef described the elaborate process of creating cultured butter that day, but frankly it needed some salt! The story of the hogget was awesome and I love the idea of some lamb that has a little more maturity but is not quite mutton, but the belly lamb ‘chip’ desperately needed seasoning. Service was generally excellent though they did seem to completely forget to tell us that there was transportation back up the hill and my arthritic wife didn’t need to walk. The end of the ‘feast’ evening is late and staff seem to be keen to do a runner as much as possible. So all very, very good food wise, but really missing some finesse in areas. Tommy Banks has a very similar philosophy to High FW but pulls it off more authentically and more consistently.

Arrived excited we had finally got to the place. arrived with masks, girl looked at us and carried on doing her thing.. in the end i asked if we could sit down. there were only two others in there. she said no and went to ask someone.. we waited and waited.. in the end i said to my husband come on lets go...I slammed the door on the way out. Wont be going back

We were so excited about collecting our meal to pick us up from our lockdown blues but were sorely disappointed to say the least. It came in 2 brown paper bags. I eagerly investigated the contents. Firstly a tub with one truffle in and no lid so the other was rolling around at the bottom of the bag. One bigger and one tiny. The salad was very roughly chopped apple fennel and chilli thrown into a tub looking lacklustre and uncareingly prepared. No dressing so just dry. I would have expected a little container of something to dress it in. The fish cakes were tasty little things and once I had added my own simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice to the salad made a very pleasant starter. The pork steaks were dry . The sauce was tasty enough but the description tantalising more than the eating experience. The root dauphinois was well cooked and again pleasant to eat but needed a good crack of black pepper or nutmeg maybe to lift it. The cauliflower hard and grey and the sunflower dukkah irrelevant. The greens and peas were hard work not succulent and tender as they should have been. The posset wasn’t the most attractive of things as the rhubarb had leached pink juice. It was very smooth but lacked a burst of lemon flavour that would have been provided by a good grating of zest. I think only juice was added making it merely acidic and rhubarb didn’t add anything and could have been sweeter. We didn’t bother tasting the insultingly pathetic truffles. Shan’t order again. Maybe river cottage is resting on the name now and given up actually delivering what they espouse.

We four made the best of it...BUT we all agreed it was a money making machine. Most things incurred additional costs and to pay to see him to sign a book, no way.Once done...never again unless you want to spend £££

Went to River Cottage for my wife's retirement gift. The food was excellent and they serve a lovely IPA beer. The staff were also very welcoming and the location is stunning. However, we sat at a table opposite the entrance / exit door which was constantly in use during the evening (toilet / cigarette breaks) and we were absolutely freezing. If you go, make sure that you wear plenty of layers.

This was a gift from our Children For our Birthdays last November. Eventually we were able to come and dine at RCHQ. Amazing. The food was plentiful and high quality. Thank you to the chefs Having been to RC canteen many times we didn’t expect that our expectations would be exceeded by this dinner however they were. We were welcomed and served by happy and helpful members of staff. All in all a truly wonderful evening and experience. We will be back as it’s on our door stepThank you Holly for the lift up the hill.

Lovely location and amazing views. Shame there weren't any pigs or chooks around but I guess it isn't that kind of farm. We did the Summer picnic which had some interesting food and allowed you to sit in around the grounds. Really have a missed opportunity in not having a gift shop.... Reusable branded bottles and mugs or aprons or tea towels (?!) for example alongside some books as a souvenir of the day could be good items to stock.

As fans of the kitchen in Axminster we thought we would at long last try HQ.The event was a present from our children , so a sizeable layout for students! On arrival we were greeted by a lovely lady who offered instruction on how to find the cottage. The walk down was beautiful, late summer sunshine, gorgeous views across the valley. At the cottage we were offered cider and were told to go kill an hour around the grounds. It was nice for 20 mins to have a quick stroll around the gardens before returning to the courtyard .Several other guests had taken seats in the barn at this point so we followed suit.The chef came out and gave a description of what was to come, canapes were served(our favourite dish) could have eaten loads! followed by four courses.For us,although very nice, the food was not too dissimilar to that of the Kitchen in town, and at £160 plus drinks we were uncertain as to wether it was worth it by comparison.We enjoyed the evening, the staff are great! Think we will continue to visit the kitchen as we prefer the atmosphere and it offers better value by miles

I am extremely saddened to read all the recent negative reviews of wandering Wednesdays at river cottage hq. We visited yesterday as a family of 6 (4 x adults, 1 x 4yr old and 1 x 2yr old,) and had a lovely time. It was so great to be able to wander about the beautiful surroundings and Gardens at your own pace and look and take everything in. Yes the place was a little run down or over grown in areas but let’s not forget that we have just had a global pandemic! On speaking in passing to a member of staff, the whole grounds and gardens have been looked after and ran throughout the whole of lockdown by one single guy, I think he did a pretty impressive job! Also it’s a working farm/gardens not a fancy TV set or education centre, which clearly some people from the negative reviews were unrealistically expecting. Also to expect Hugh to be there himself is ridiculous.... would have been amazing if he had been, but totally unexpected. We had a brilliant time, my 4yr old and I loved walking around the veggie gardens and seeing what was growing, he particularly enjoyed the wormery and nature pond, while my 2yr old loved watching the pigs digging around and turning over the ground. We all had a lovely pizza, cooked to order in front of us in a pizza oven in the courtyard. For £15 per a person (nothing for the children if you didn’t want to pay for them, although I did pay £15 so they could share a pizza,) you can’t complain. We had a lovely chilled afternoon wandering around the great grounds and had some lovely home made pizza, all the staff we came across were friendly and super helpful - what more can you ask for! I think this place is a great afternoon out if you don’t have unrealistic expectations

The service we received was exellent, very helpful young lady I believe her name was Natasha!? She absolutely did her best to rectify all the mistakes that were made in the kitchen, very poor managing I'd say, completely disorganized a total shambles and waist of money!

Having been a fan of River Cottage and an avid cook myself I was very excited about the prospect of visiting River Cottage HQ. As someone who grows vegetables and keeps animals I was also very interested in expanding my knowledge in this area. This was a huge disappointment and I came away feeling that we had spent a considerable amount of money on a brief afternoon wandering around what appeared to be someone’s once loved garden and farm, now falling sadly into a unkempt and shabby mess. There are a couple of pigs to see and some polytunnels which appeared to be for stoarge of scrap items and some vegetables. Nothing for the kids to do or see. The food was tasty but little choice, please to see the use of recycled materials, although plastic knives and plastic cups were used after I had read an article in the Times where Hugh had condemned it’s increased use during the pandemic. Darts farm and Greendale farm locally offer so much more. Darts farm is winning awards and you can see why. River Cottage rides on the back of its once fame but offers little else in the way of an experience. I think there are better places to visit for free locally, where growers show a real passion for what they do and are keeping up with new and exciting ideas in a world where we going back to the land and revisiting our connection with nature.

Without doubt Hugh F-W has created a canny business here. We visited today for ‘Wandering Wednesdays’ with dozens of other middle class families making the hushed pilgrimage to The River Cottage HQ. What would we discover? Not much. Would the great man be there to greet us? Nope.For £15 a head we were treated to a pleasant enough veggie pizza with a choice of 4 toppings and.... well that’s the incredible bit....some overrun polytunnels, a chickenless hen coop, an empty aviary, a few pigs and a pretty shabby garden. Signage is almost non existent, many of the hand sanitiser units were empty and it was far from obvious where to sit and eat since the main tables were occupied.A number of reviews on here echo these comments and we chose to ignore them. Please do yourself a favour and save your money. There are several farm parks nearby which offer free entry and a much better range of food, activities and plenty of animals for the kids. The River Cottage was an embarrassing sham and I think that most guests today were too polite to mention it. A refund should be offered to guests because the team must be very aware of how poor the ‘experience’ is. Avoid at all costs and support local businesses who are trying to make a difference.

Went for the summer lunch this year - (Christmas gift) - which we had booked early - last visit was some time ago and was in the evening - the experience is magical and very relaxed and enjoyable. The 3 courses were excellent, very tasty and memorable. Wine selection also very good. Would recommend and go again. PS many people complaining about the veg gardens on reviews - which i find hard to believe, as this walled garden and the development of the. Veg space is wonderful. Love the mulberry tree.

Visited on a very wet Wednesday, having booked some weeks ago. I was very excited at the prospect of visiting River Cottage but the reality was really disappointing. There was no real regard for social distancing: water was served from communal jugs and tables weren’t cleared or sanitised between guests. I appreciate this is advertised as an outdoor event but if tables are provided in the bar area, then either staff should be available to clean them between guests or, at the very least, equipment should be provided for guests to sanitise them. The yard area where the bar and the pizza kitchen is located was really shabby - overgrown with weeds and generals looking like it required some TLC. Our general impression was one of chaos - not enough staff and everyone apparently surprised at the number of visitors to a pre-booked event. The only saving grace in the entire experience was the pizzas, which were okay.

We live local and decided to visit wandering Wednesday and we were very disappointed. £15 for pizza, and salad a rip off. Had to queue. Staff did their best. Need more staff to help out. Not enough places to sit, especially when it rains. The tables were not cleaned down. No sign telling People to wear mask. A lot of people didn’t wear masks while getting drinks. Not enough rubbish bins. Kitchen garden, orchards very disappointing. Benches in kitchen garden seating all falling apart. Only saw pigs no other animals. Could have done with people around to explain about the how the place works and to advise. There was No Social distancing at all.As local people we will Not be recommending this place. Very Very disappointed. We would like our money back.

No social distancing signs,especially in food room people squashed in there on tables and no 1 metre floor markings.Lots of areas run down,only pigs,no sheep,chickens cows unless they were hidden somewhere,no staff to help around the site to ask infomation about the farm.lovely staff but not enough of them.No signs or not clear signs about growing produce,untidy overgrown areas.Pizza was nice but long wait,coffee cold,sugar in open bowls,should be sachets because of covid-19,not enough tables/chairs and bins.I'm a local and I was really disappointed, I don't feel I can recommend this experience to people on holiday/ locals as it was £15 per head, kids will find it boring. Such a shame as it doesn't live up to what it advertises on its website.

We had glorious weather on a very hot Wandering Wednesday but other than that the experience was very average.The cottage garden was lovely but some of the other areas needed a little tidying. Pizza was at best average with no choice of toppings and just one portion of salad between 2 consisting only of a few salad leaves and a few pieces of tasteless shredded carrot and red cabbage. Quite disappointing! The drinks area in the barn really needs improving to comply with social distancing measures. People were allowed in and out of the same doors with no direction for queuing. However plenty on sanitiser around. Staff were friendly and helpful and we were made to feel welcome!

'Are you ready for your experience?' asked the friendly woman as we drove into the car park. No, I thought to myself, I'm just here for lunch. Perhaps it was a warning and I was supposed to prepare myself for the wretched hour that followed.We had booked a Wandering Wednesday lunch – a pizza each at £15 a head and the chance to walk around the grounds at River Cottage HQ. We were hungry, so made our way straight to the eating area where we met with nobody at all to welcome us or tell us how it all worked.We ambled over to one corner where people were busy rolling out dough and tending to the outdoor pizza oven. Once there, it became apparent that there was no choice of pizza topping other than the onion and kale (chard?) combination they served which was fine for my partner and I but not very appealing for my 9 year-old daughter.The temperature of the pizza oven must have been close to that of the heart of the sun; the pizzas we were served were burnt to a crisp and thoroughly inedible. They came with a side salad in a small box consisting of a few lettuce leaves and some grated carrot on top. It tasted of precisely nothing and there was no dressing available to mask the disappointment. (If there had been dressing, I would have drunk the bottle of vinegar to try and get rid of the taste of burnt pizza). We washed down the flavour of charred embers with a drink and then went to have a look around the grounds. The kitchen garden was very pretty but that was about it. There was nothing much else to see.Unsurprisingly, we were still hungry, so we decided to leave as quickly as we could and headed for Charmouth beach were we shared a portion of chips on the seafront. They were delicious and at £3 a portion represented much greater value for money than the £55 for lunch and drinks we blew at River Cottage.A truly terrible experience.

Booked for a Wandering Wednesday session. Sadly rained a lot and there were very few undercover eating places. All pizzas were the same and salad was very basic....massive lettuce leaf and some shredded cabbage/carrot. No dressing etc. Pizza was tasty but quite burnt.The veg garden looked lovely in places but clearly had been neglected in others, possibly due to Covid restrictions? No information boards anywhere, not even plant labels. Couldn’t access the house. No tractor rides (Covid), nothing to see other than veg garden - no animals, no shop etc.I’m sure it would be a lovely place to chill out with a beer in the sun, but then I guess you could do that in any field really.

We were really excited to visit River Cottage. We had hoped to book a dinner but that was already booked up this week so we went for one of the Wednesday afternoon/ early evening options which involved exploring the farm and having stone oven baked pizza and a selection of salads. The views and the premises were lovely, helped by the nice weather. However, we were disappointed by the food: we waited for 45 min to get two mini pizzas plus the most minuscule portion of salad to be shared between us. It felt a bit like a scam to us which is a real shame.

Thoroughly enjoyed our Field Feast dinner at River Cottage HQ. We had eaten there before and were interested to see how the new experience compared. Also an opportunity to celebrate two Birthdays that had been missed during lockdown and our wedding anniversary. Fortunately the weather was kind so we were able to wander round the garden on arrival with our drinks and see the meat roasting over the fire pit. Great evening, excellent food, all very informal. Be aware that you currently have to walk down the hill ( and back up after dinner). Also suggest bringing something warm to wear as it got cool later on. Staff friendly and wearing masks to serve food and drinks.

We have been enjoying the Friday night supper club and today went along to the first Wandering Wednesday - a chance to explore the grounds and garden of River Cottage and enjoy a pizza-oven cooked pizza and salad. Ingredients / food as imaginative as ever. Pizza bases light as a feather. The ice creams were amazing too. Hard working and friendly staff from the welcome to the goodbye. A lovely afternoon.

In the new world of social distancing River Cottage is re inventing itself with some great new events. We (4 ) went on the first Wandering Wednesday. For just 15 pounds you can go and visit the Gem that is River Cottage HQ. Go with no expectation except to get off the rat race for a few hours and stop talking about the virus.We Wandered down from the car park amazing views. Continued our wander around River Cottage for about an hour and then enjoyed another really pleasant hour enjoying the pizza and salad in true River Cottage style very rustic and authentic. ( included in the entrance fee) and a drink from the bar. Vegetarian and Vegan all catered for.The weather was not great I would expect if it was a hot day you would stay much longer.If you are in the area go enjoy and support River Cottage. Only tip it is a steep climb back up ( i can see why they normally lay on the tractor) just take your time.

Months ago my wife and I booked our 2 night stay. Little did we know that the Corona virus would arrive and mean that our stay last week would be the last booking at Park Farm and River Cottage for a while. After a great two days in and around this special place we travelled back up to Yorkshire with mixed emotions on Thursday, the day before the whole of the hospitality sector was forced to close. How lucky we felt that despite the immanent news, we had such a welcome and a chance to be really 'away from it all'. It was very sad to leave knowing that wonderful staff had been laid off. Hope 'things' work out for the staff at this difficult time.

Our second visit, we went some years ago and the complete experience and food was fabulous.On this ocassion the booking staff and assistance to the dining was excellent. The experience is different from attending a normal resturant with bench tables in two rows. The brief on the evening is very good as was the canapes and brandy cider.We asked to be taken down on the buggy rather than the tractor trailer as my wife would have struggled getting on the trailer and walking the last 30m down a steep uneven slope. This worked very well both down and up. I went to the bar straight away and purchased a bottle of wine and a cold tea juice for my wife, both very nice but expensive. Others sat at the table being told there was table service for drinks, some people waited quite a while before they were served.The meal was a disappointment not the quality and taste that we had experienced previously. People around us also stated the same.Accepting that the full experience is the evening, which is different and good, the food spoilt the evening given the cost on this ocassion.In future, if we visited again, I would ask what the menu is prior to booking.Final note, all of the staff were friendly and informative.

This was our first time to River Cottage and we were not disappointed. The evening was amazing. We stayed over (beautiful room, lovely en suite, not too fussed about the breakfast - especially after the amount of food the night before), so arrived late afternoon and enjoyed an explore around the farm. The Feast started with a welcome drink and an introduction with a delicious morsel of food to sample. Then ushered into the barn where we were directed to two long tables. Everyone is sat together and the evening is a really social, relaxed, indulgent evening. Warm, friendly environment. Amazing food which was explained to us by the Chef and cooked fresh as we could see through the open kitchen. We chatted to people who had been before numerous times and I think we would come again too. The staff were lovely and so friendly and helpful. We loved it. Do wear comfortable clothes and sturdy shoes as the walk from the tractor that collects you down into the farmyard is steep and can be muddy.

Had a wonderful meal on their Curry night promotion in Axminster. We managed to get a table even though we hadn't booked. Lovely friendly attentive staff explained our dishes which looked an tasted amazing. Lovely variety of dishes, great value and highly recommended. We'll be back.

We are local to River Cottage and have attended several times for their summer festivals and had a private birthday party in the main cottage last summer which was wonderful and we were very well looked after. Because of our previous experience l was looking for award to attending the Group Dining advertised as a romantic experience . Was it romantic ? most definitely not . We arrived at 7pm in the pouring wind and rain the event was packed so lm unsure how many guests were attending . We were not welcomed on arrival and as we know the drill we made our way over in the downpour to the shed/ tractor transport stop which was so full of people huddled to get out of the rain again no welcome or or information that there was some hot punch on the stove we later found out we went back to our car where we waited until the next tractor arrived. We went able to get onto this one and had to wait for the next no problem we did then meet our first river staff member who made no attempt to welcome us and appeared pretty wet and stressed . Once we got on the tractor trailer lift again no welcome or dialogue from the driver. By this point we were feeling pretty flat .once at the bottom of the hill again we waited in the rain to get into the atmospherless foyer /tent of the barn dining room as the yurt had apparently collapsed . There was a fire pit in the corner which by the time we were there was almost gone out .The welcome drink canapés and were served here by a pleasant girl try desperately to sound enthusiastic. in cold . No music . We were the last few in the barn were were were not shown to our seat and had to find another bust stressed looking member of staff to be shown were to sit. Drinks menu to small to read so just order the same bottle of wine as a seating companions again as waiting staff unavailable. No music no hearts no reference at all to valentines night. It’s a social event so be prepared to talk to the guests to those sat closely around you and hear their stories of the pets and kids avoid this type of event if you are tired or just want to talk privately to your partner . feels rather like a canteen .Food good imaginative menu with no choice but catered well for special dietary needs.New pine tables and benches no rustic boards like shown in the photos . table flowers = tiny vases of dried up Gypsophelia.. Last impression standing in the dark cold drizzle for 20 mins waiting for the tractor trailer to take us back up to our car Impression - uninterested service , lack of atmosphere We have been River Cottage fans for 20 years but they sadly and clearly now have seen their better days .

Wonderful evening here celebrating with family and friends. Great atmosphere, wonderful food and service from Tom and Natasha. Loved the tractor ride too.

Absolutely amazing, food was lush. The evening exceeded expectations which were very high anyway, we were very impressed with the quality of the food and the tastes. Favourite was the starter which included Brussels and cob nuts ..... fabulous. Loved it. Thank you Tom and Natasha for making it such a memorable evening x

Went to a wedding. Disappointed. Seems to be resting on its laurels because of celebrity chef name. Exudes laziness on part of HFW for following reasons:Track down to house was very rough and pitted. Tractor trailer not particularly clean- neither good enough for people dressed up in their finery. Whole site has uneven ground and rough, stony surfaces to walk on- difficult in heels and smart shoes. All shoes filthy and scuffed by the end of the day.Benches to sit outside on for wedding were wobbly and insecure- risk for less agile people.Veggie patches were scruffy and untended- smell of rotting cabbage in the air.Pathways unweeded- looks uncared for.Service slow- long waits between courses and for canapés.Toilets were outside block- basic and cold in winter. Only ones. Had to keep going outside to use them. Again not ideal in finery or in cold weather. Thank God it didn’t rain.Steep incline to the yurt- uneven and tricky ground to walk on. Lighting at night not sufficient which made it dangerous.Food was ok although not much of it. Canapés were very slow to arrive and not many. Food intolerances catered for in a very basic and less generous fashion.Courtyard area scruffy and basic- very little effort in landscaping. Lone Christmas tree and that was about it. No winter planting.Gator to deliver you back to your car up the hill- extremely cold and open to elements. This is an agricultural vehicle and not at all suitable for people in their best clothes on a cold winters night. I wonder whether there are breaches of health and safety with fire pits and pathways and also whether accessibility for disabled people is acceptable. Staff, on the plus side, were extremely friendly and very very helpful and kind. They are the silver lining in this cloud.