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Learn with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Ethical Meat: Sourcing & Cooking

In this extensive course, you’ll learn from the experts how to source meat ethically and eat it in the most respectful and sustainable way possible.

Course overview

Hugh starts by explaining his views on ethical meat, including understanding animal welfare and how to make the best choices when you source your meat. You'll visit a farm to see how cows, pigs and chickens can be raised ethically. A butcher will show you what he looks for in ethical meat and suppliers.

Meet Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment. He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigning documentary series such as Hugh’s Fish Fight, Hugh’s War on Waste, Britain’s Fat Fight and, his latest, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita. Hugh established River Cottage HQ in Dorset in 2004, and the operation is now based at Park Farm near Axminster in Devon. An organic smallholding, HQ is also the hub for a broad range of courses and events, and home to the River Cottage Cookery School. Hugh continues to teach and host events there on a regular basis. He also oversees the menu and sourcing in the River Cottage Kitchen in Axminster. Hugh’s broadcasting has earned him a BAFTA as well as awards from Radio 4, The Observer and the Guild of Food Writers. His award-winning books include The River Cottage Cookbook (2001), which won the Glenfiddich Trophy, the River Cottage Meat Book, which won the Andre Simon Award in the UK as well as the James Beard Award in the USH, and River Cottage Much More Veg. His latest book Eat Better Forever is published in December 2020. Hugh continues to work as a journalist, writing occasionally for the Guardian, Times and other national newspapers. He is a vice president of Fauna & Flora International and a patron of Switchback, a charity that helps young offenders find opportunities in the catering industry. Hugh, his wife Marie and their four children live in East Devon.

Course description

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and River Cottage's Executive Chef Gelf Alderson combine to show you how to source sustainable and ethical meat and cook all types of meat cuts - to make the most of every piece of meat you eat.

Having written The River Cottage Meat Book (one of the most important tomes on the ethics of rearing, sourcing, cooking and eating meat), Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall takes the bull by the horns once again in this thoughtful course on animal protein and its role in modern diets.

Having moved to a mostly plant-based diet himself, he still eats meat – but most of his consumption comes from animals he rears himself, or those reared locally by farms that have the highest animal welfare and sustainability standards.

This course extols the virtue of eating less and better meat, both for the sake of our health and also for the planet. Hugh takes you through the various meat choices in the mainstream market and leads you towards the higher welfare end of the market through a well-informed critique of the devastating effects of modern factory farming and British supermarket practices.

By the end of this course you’ll gain new insight into how you can source the best possible meat, from local farms and make the most of every morsel.

You will get a further perspective from one of Hugh’s favourite local butchers and also River Cottage’s neighbouring farm and organic meat supplier, Harry Boglione.

The principles of ethical meat follow through from sourcing into the kitchen, and Executive Chef Gelf Alderson will take you step-by-step through recipes that will help you make the most of your meat, helping you to understand the “nose to tail” whole carcass approach that is the cornerstone of ethical meat cooking.

You’ll learn how to cook and enjoy offal and some of the thriftier cuts of beef, lamb and pork.

You'll learn:
  • the difference you can make by buying your meat from ethical sources
  • new recipes to cook different meat cuts
  • the impact of supermarket meats and factory farming on the food industry, animals and environment
  • where to source meat from and what questions to ask about your meat before you buy it
The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Gelf Alderson
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical meat sourcing and cooking assignments and recipes (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
Independent Cookery Schools Association approved

This course has been approved by the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA), recognising the highest standards of training.

Time to complete the ethical meat course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 16 hours to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 4 hours in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your ethical meat sourcing and cooking recipe assignments: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
You'll need:

Your lesson notes will include the full details of the ingredients you'll need, but you will be sourcing sustainable meat for your recipes, and learning new meat recipes to make the most of all the meat you buy, so you will need standard kitchen equipment..

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Hugh and Gelf on your meat sourcing and cooking assignments.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.