We used to live in west Dorset. Marie was working in Exeter for the NHS, which was a bit of a slog to travel to. We had half an eye out for a move, and we saw this property in an estate agent's window about 17 years ago. At the time we were living in a 17th-century thatched farmhouse with a lot of history. Our home now is quite different. It's about 30 years old. It's made of oak and glass, and it was designed by the architect Roderick James.
What prompted the change from an old to a new property?
We imagined we'd continue to live in old West Country farmhouses. We did ask ourselves whether this was really us but we looked at it in early May, when the bluebells were out in the woods, and the view from the house was incredible. We could see exactly where we'd put our veg patch and plant our fruit trees. It was just one of those places where you knew it was right.
How have you made your home your own?
We have slowly put our stamp on the place, season by season. There was a very overgrown pond at the bottom of the field behind the house with a fallen tree in the middle of it. We got rid of that and got a digger in to make the pond bigger to draw in the dragonflies, frogs and tadpoles. Luckily, at 50-60ft deep, it also turned out to be a great swimming pond.
How did the River Cottage concept come about?
River Cottage is a real cottage in west Dorset that I started renting back in 1996. I was still working in London and was looking for somewhere to escape to on the weekends and holidays. I'd been visiting there for a couple of years before I got the idea for the River Cottage TV shows. I thought they'd be a one-summer fun show about downsizing to the country, but we made the River Cottage series for 15 years straight.
Do you still have River Cottage?
River Cottage is now our cookery school, restaurant and dining event spaces, just outside Axminster. It's a different property, but we took the name with us. On another small farm, which is slightly bigger than my home at about 65 acres, we have River Cottage headquarters. It's about 15 minutes from where I live. We have an amazing vegetable garden there, along with the chickens, cows and sheep, and we run courses and dining events there.
Did reading philosophy and psychology at the University of Oxford influence your career?
Some of the things we studied on the course did fold into what I do, in particular the campaigning work, such as with River Action. Many an ethical conversation is to be had about how we feed ourselves and look after the land, or how we fail to look after the land. Obviously the River Cottage shows were quite bucolic, a celebration of the land, but there's always been an underlying questioning of how we are going to live our lives and about our relationship with nature.
Are you good at switching off from work when you're at home?
I'm better at it now than I used to be. About 15 or 20 years back, I got in a right old pickle with a book deadline and ended up working through our family summer holiday, which didn't go down massively well. I was frustrated to have got myself into that situation, and I took the whole of the next August off. Ever since, I have taken a big chunk of the summer off, at least three weeks, and I try to clear as much of the kids' holidays as possible. I've made home time and family time pretty sacred.
How do you relax away from work?
It's ironic that throughout the River Cottage shows I was encouraging people to grow more vegetables and go fishing, forage and connect with nature, when I was barely finding time to do any of it myself. If I can't take time off to enjoy the things that I'm telling other people are so special and enjoyable, that makes no sense. Now my wife and I spend a lot of time together in the garden and the veg patch, or down at the coast for a walk, or just grabbing a few minutes before the working day begins to sit outside with a cup of tea and listen to the birdsong.
What are you working on at present?
We've talked about the importance of enjoying nature but we also have to fight for nature, to fight for our rivers and beaches. They are the most democratic of all natural resources. Everyone should have access to clean beaches and rivers all the time. If we don't have this access because they are polluted, then those who are in charge of our waterways are not doing their job.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall supports the RiverAction campaign group (riveractionuk.com). His latest book, How to Eat 30 Plants a Week, is available from timesbookshop.co.uk or call 020 3176 2935. Discount for Times+ members