A Cook on the Wild Side

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall goes in search of some Norfolk pachers to help him hunt game for a pie. First stop has to be the pub, where Hugh meets a reformed poacher. Barbara Blyth was a matron in a boarding school but was made redundant when it closed. With no money to buy meat for the pot she decided to poach.

For beginners she recommends the easiest method - babbing for eels (fishing with a bait of worms sewn onto wool). Barbara gave up poaching when she got a better job, but she can remember the excitement of her moonlight flits. Babbing for eels yields nothing so Robert, a fourth generation Norfolk farmer, helps Hugh out early the next morning, before the breakfast pangs become too intense. A large net is the answer and they catch some 15 pounds of eels. Robert performs the unappealing task of skinning the eels while Hugh prepares to smoke them over oak sawdust.

George Monbiot has a high-minded approach to trespass. He believes in freedom to wander over private land as long as the land is not damaged. He takes Hugh on a wander for wild plants - meadowsweet for hangovers and valarium for a good night's sleep.