Radio Times: Review by:; Emma Sturgess

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall doesn’t talk turkey at Christmas, nor does he serve sausage rolls. After a year of putting veggies to the fore, the River Cottage barn plays host to a feast in which all the meat comes from wild and somewhat pesky game — boar, little muntjac deer and greylag geese — and all the vegetables are home-grown.

For most people this is pretty far removed from supermarket-dominated reality, but that doesn’t stop the team’s rough-edged approach to protein, inspiring new ways to cook your goose. Maybe next year it’ll be city pigeons. There are also lots of ideas for canapés, and grown-up foodie stocking fillers courtesy of Pam the Jam.

About this programme

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall serves an unusual festive menu, with the River Cottage team helping him prepare wild game, particularly those animals often viewed as pests. They cook boar, muntjack deer and greylag geese, while head gardener Mark Diacono unearths Christmas favourites in his vegetable patch and forager John Wright teams up with Pam Corbin to make luxury stocking fillers.