Frequently Asked Questions
> Visiting River Cottage
> Private Events and Weddings at River Cottage
> Online shopping
> Outside events
> Press and Marketing
> Charity Policy, charities and fundraising
> Working for River Cottage
> Food
> Accounts
Visiting River Cottage
Q. Can I book to have dinner at River Cottage HQ?
A. Yes. Our Friday Nights at River Cottage HQ are the perfect introduction to our evening events at RCHQ. After a warm welcome drink and hand made canapes, your head chef for the evening will talk you through the unique evening menu, based on the best local and seasonal ingredients, much of which has been reared and grown at Park Farm, or within a 10 mile radius. If you click through to our HQ Events and Courses homepage you can see all of or evening events.
Q. What sort of food can I expect to be eating?
A. The set menu for each event is based on what our Head Chef, Gill Mellor has sourced from the best local and seasonal ingredients. If you click through to our Friday Night at River Cottage events page, you can view a typical menu for the season and shortly we will post more typical menus on the website for you.
Q. Do you cater for vegetarians and people with dietary requirements such as dairy free, gluten free etc.?
A. Yes we do. Our team of chefs wil prepare a delicious alternative to any meat course on the menu. Examples of vegetarian courses include Ricotta and Sage on homemade nettle pasta, followed by Wild Mushroom Gratin. When you book, let us know any foods you are allergic to or can't eat and we will make sure that your meal is prepared around your requirements.
Q. I am thinking of bringing a large group of friends for my birthday. Is this possible?
A. We can take large groups on any of our Events and Courses. If you are thinking of a party of 10 or more, please call our events team on 01297 630302 before booking. We can also cater privately for you. For more information on Private events please click through to our Farm House & Private Events section. If you would like any further advice on Private Events please call Elli on 01297 630313.
Q. Do I need to constantly check the website for new dates on sold out or future events?
A. No. At the bottom of every page, is a Keep Me Informed option. As soon as we release dates, we will email you. When you register your details, the more detail you leave us, the better informed we can be about when you can attend and then hopefully we can match you up to your chosen Event or Course.
Q. Can I see a full list of courses & dates?
A. Yes, and you can view them specific to your requirements. If you only want to attend Hugh events, go to our Hugh Ticket Availability page. If weekdays are no good for you, take a look at our Weekend Availability section. You can also view our Event Calendar, which gives you a day-by-day view of what's on, as well as ticket availability. We sometimes have special offers on events coming up shortly: call Hayley on 01297 630 302 or email events@rivercottage.net to find out more.
Q. Can we bring children to any of the events?
A. Children are very welcome on all of our Events & Courses. Depending on which event you want to attend, different events might be suitable depending on the age of your child. We run specific courses for children including a Childrens Christmas Workshop and a Grab & Cook garden based course.
Q. I have heard that you have a River Cottage Canteen in Axminster where I can have dinner is this true?
A. Yes, this is true. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights we serve superb River Cottage dishes. You can view our typical canteen menus at Local Produce Store & Canteen. We also serve breakfast and lunch in the week with Sunday Roasts also available. Call 01297 631 862 to make your reservation.
Q. Do you receive tickets through the post when you have booked on the website?
A. You won't receive tickets through the post. We operate an E-ticket system. When you book you will automatically receive 2 emails. One will be confirmation of payment from email and the other will be your event confirmation with timings, directions and everything else you need to know about your event, plus a link to our recommended local accomodation page.
Private Events and Weddings at River Cottage
Q. I saw a wild food wedding on Beyond River Cottage. Would it be possible to have our wedding at HQ?
A. Yes, we certainly can host your wedding reception at River Cottage HQ. For further information, please call Cat Streatfeild on 01297 630322.
Q. I've ordered Gift Vouchers, how are these sent out?
A. A unique voucher code will be automatically emailed to you after ordering your vouchers online, and a copy will be sent to you in the post within a week to ten days of ordering.
Online shopping
Q. How do I redeem my vouchers?
A. You can now redeem your voucher online. You will need your unique voucher code which you can find on your printed voucher (this would have been emailed to the person who purchased the voucher also). You will be asked for this code once you have chosen your event or product, and proceeded to pay in your shopping basket. If your voucher value is more than the total of your order, you will automatically be emailed a new code which will relate to your remaining balance.
Q. How do perishable items get delivered?
A. Perishable items (Hampers/Meat packs) have a very short shelf life and are sent chilled. Once it has been sent to your address by our couriers, Parcelforce, it is your responsibility to be there to deal with these items. They will delivered between 9-5.30pm on the day you have selected, please make sure that you or someone else is there to receive and sign for them. They will need to be refridgerated immediately.
Q. What about the other items (Books/DVDs/Diaries)?
A. These are also delivered by Parcelforce. They will try twice and then be left at the nearest depot for you to collect (sometimes this can be a long way from your home). Parcelforce currently do not deliver on a Saturday or Sunday. Therefore, we strongly advise you to consider that you use an address where someone is going to be in, like your work address. If Parcelforce fail to get your parcel to you during this process, it will be returned to us. Changes to your address after it has left us cannot be made and Parcelforce have to attempt to deliver to the address they have been given. A charge will be made for re-sending packages.
Outside events
Q. Would the River Cottage Team like to take part in our event we are holding?
A. Unfortunately due to our calendar of events running at full capacity here at River Cottage HQ, plus a full programme of filming this year, we are very stretched in terms of staff and resources, which means we are unable to attend any outside events this year.
We wish you luck with your event.
Press and marketing
Q. Where should I direct press and marketing queries?
A. Please send press and marketing queries to marketing@rivercottage.net. Please note that this address is for press/marketing queries only. We appreciate your interest; however, due to the huge volume of enquiries we receive every week, we're afraid we cannot guarantee to reply to every email.
Charity Policy, charities and fundraising
Q. Would River Cottage donate to my charity?
A. Full details of our charity policy can be found here
Working for River Cottage
Q. Where can I find details of vacancies at River Cottage?
A. Details of current vacancies at River Cottage can be found on our jobs page
Food
Q. Hugh has written extensively about animal welfare; why isn't he a vegetarian?
A. Hugh has written a chapter, 'Meat and Right', in the River Cottage Meat Book, which discusses his views on meat-eating and vegetarianism. We'd encourage you to read this chapter in answer to this question, as it contains much more information than we are able to include here.
Accounts
Q. I am a supplier of River Cottage; who should I contact if I have an account query?
A. Please send account queries (ONLY) to accounts@rivercottage.net