Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: We all have enough time to grow some of our own food

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall photographed in his garden at his home in Devon
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, pictured in his garden in Devon, said that ‘we have an emotional connection to knowing where our food comes from’ - John Lawrence

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has suggested that people should have enough time to grow their own food.

He said that by not knowing where food comes from and using a “stick it in the microwave” method of cooking, people “miss out on a huge part of human culture”.

Fearnley-Whittingstall is known for his farm River Cottage, based near Axminster, Devon, which has grown into a chain of cafes across the UK.

He added that when he travelled to his farm, River Cottage HQ, he often popped into neighbouring farms to buy their vegetables to show his guests.

‘Industrialised and anonymous food’

Speaking to Devon Life magazine, the 59-year-old said: “For tens of thousands of years, humans were hunter-gatherers and I think this still speaks to us.

“That’s what it meant to be human – we have an emotional connection to knowing where our food comes from and if, instead, we only have industrialised, anonymous, ‘stick it in the microwave’ food, we’re missing out on a huge part of human culture.

“I’m not saying we should go back to be hunter-gatherers or even self-sufficiency, people don’t have time for that, but what people do have time for is to grow some of their food.

“On my way [to River Cottage], I often take a detour to go past a little farm and buy bundles of broad beans or runner beans for a couple of quid, and then bring it here to show our guests that there are lots of different ways of buying food.”

Fearnley-Whittingstall told The Telegraph this year that he grows most of the vegetables that he eats and that his household is “nearly self-sufficient”.

He added: “Our greenhouse gets packed with all sorts of seedlings, including at least 10 varieties of tomato, from monsters such as super marmande, costoluto fiorentino and oxheart to cherries such as honeycomb and gardener’s delight.”