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Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is so settled in his West Dorset hideaway that it’s difficult to forget he was ever part of the London rat race.

I meet him on a cool, bright afternoon at River Cottage. It seems a hive of activity – repair work being carried out, cookery courses being planned and radio interviews to squeeze in between.

“It’s a great time of the year for the whole river cottage team because we’re gearing up for Spring,” he explains. “This year is earlier than last – the daffodils are out, the seedlings are coming on. We’re bracing ourselves for some serious gardening action.”

Sheep wandering by River Cottage

It’s not just the garden that is keeping him busy. Hugh has also just moved River Cottage HQ from near Bridport to near Lyme Regis.

The relocated River Cottage HQ, he explains, is going to be his permanent base. It is here that he will teach courses like ‘a pig in a day’ and ‘catch and cook fishing days’.

Hugh’s courses attract wannabe cooks from across the country and beyond. He attracts a more local crowd to his evening courses that run every Friday and Saturday. Last night, he tells me, he taught his students how to make nettle and oyster soup.

“We’re having a lovely time exploring the best of West Country food,” he tells me. “We’re riding a groundswell of interest in real food, in good local food.”

Asked whether he thinks he’s making a difference to local producers, he answers with surprising modesty. “It’s a two way thing. While we might help them with their business, we are inspired by the good local food they produce.”

Hugh’s next project is to open up a café and local produce shop in Axminster. With River Cottage HQ creeping over the Devon border too, I ask him if he’s veering away from West Dorset.

“For a good few years we sung the praises of West Dorset, now we’re doing the same for East Devon. But don’t worry, we certainly won’t be abandoning you!”