4 Episodes · Premiered March 13, 1997 · Ended April 3, 1997
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall trawls Britain's wild larder again, exploring our canals and rivers on the eccentric Bain Marie, which is half canal barge, half tugboat and all kitchen.
Hugh meets Ben Law, who has traded the rat race for a life of coppicing, charcoal burning and communing with nature. Ben introduces Hugh to the patient art of country brewing.
Seasoned elver-catcher Hartley Everett tries to teach Hugh to catch baby eels, and hedgerow expert Roger Worsley offers Hugh a lesson in Saxon wild plant lore.
Hugh's canal blues are broken when he meets some eccentric willow coppicers. Mushroom man Peter Jordan shows Hugh how to find highly sought after spring morels. And Hugh cooks up woodlouse fritters.
In the Calder Valley near Hebden Bridge, Hugh attempts a local speciality, dock pudding. In Morecambe Bay, Hugh tries his hand at shrimp netting, and finally he aims to catch and cook some rooks.