River Cottage Interview - Philip Glenister
Actor Philip Glenister swaps his Audi Quattro and snakeskin boots for a fishing boat and a pair of wellies in his latest TV appearance. Celia Plender found out more about his trip to River Cottage.
Why did you decide to take part in the show?
I just like the show. I like River Cottage and I like Hugh - I think he's a good presenter. As a viewer I find it quite interesting and informative and out of all the food shows on these days, I think that's the one that tries to be a bit different, a little bit more educational. I think that's what drew me to it really.
What did you think of Hugh?
I think he's a complete monster now of course; a nightmare, egotistical. He makes Gordon Ramsay look like Snow White... No, no, actually he was lovely - just what you'd expect. He was very nice, very helpful.
Did it feel very different to work with your co-star from Ashes to Ashes, Keeley Hawes, on something like this?
No, not at all, we just spark off each other. We've done enough going to awards together and signing things to be quite natural with stuff like that. There's not a lot of difference really.
How often do you usually cook?
I'm limited. I enjoy cooking, but I guess we do about fifty-fifty in our house, depending on what the situation is with kids and that sort of thing. Because there's so little time with children these days, you tend to stick to what you know. We all try and eat together as a family, which I think it quite important. I do my share, and what I do, I do very well.
What kinds of thing do you like to cook?
I do a mean roast, quite a bloke-ish thing I know. I do like a roast on a Sunday, so I tend to take charge of that a little bit, and the stir-fries, curries... stuff like that.
You were put in a difficult position at River Cottage where you almost had to kill a chicken. Do you think you could have gone through with it?
I think I probably would have turned round and said that I'm not comfortable killing a chicken. I'm not so much fearful of killing one, it's just getting it wrong. In those situations you don't want to put an animal under duress. You want to just kill it straight off. It's like, if you go hunting (not that I approve of hunting), you're not going to give a rifle to someone who's never shot a rifle before, and say 'look there's the deer, 350 yards away!' You need to be practised in the slaughter of animals. So, in that respect, I would have been very surprised if they'd just let me loose on a chicken.
How did you feel about sticking your hand up a chicken's bottom?
If you're going to eat them, you can't really complain about having to prepare them. I suppose we're so used to having it all prepared for us, particularly in the case of supermarkets. I tend to try and buy my meat and poultry from butchers because firstly, it's supporting the local businesses, which I think is important, and secondly I think the quality of the meat is far superior to that in some of the supermarkets. So, what goes around comes around - you can't really moan about, 'oh I don't like doing this' if you're going to eat it. So, I was alright about all of that.
You had an encounter with an unusual sea creature - what was that like?
Oh yes, it was a huss, which was quite big, like a shark really. I'm not great with fish, I have to say. They're kind of slippery and weird. I love the sea, but I'm not that keen on being in it - I like being near it, and looking at it. So, being on the boat was about the limit for me. [...] It was good fun fishing though - it was the first time I'd been sea fishing. I have to say I harboured a secret enjoyment for it. It's not one of those things that's particularly captured me as a pass time, but I can see the appeal of it having experienced it now.
Has your time at River Cottage changed your attitude towards food?
Not really if I'm honest. But, that's because I'm a follower of the programme and Hugh and I know the sort of work Hugh does towards sustainable food. If we lived in the country, the first thing we would do would be to have a vegetable garden. That would be my wife's idea of heaven, but when you're living in town, you're obviously limited. We've got a few bits and pieces like tomatoes and strawberries, but this is SW14, not Devon! You can't really compare living in Devon to living in London. I wouldn't say I came away saying, 'oh I didn't know that', because I'd seen it on other shows that Hugh's done. That's not disrespect; it's just being a follower of the show
What was your best moment of the whole experience?
It was all quite fun really. The whole experience was quite relaxed, chilled - good company, good wine. But, there was a dish that Hugh cooked, which was absolutely delicious. I showed my wife, and she was like, 'this is good.' It was very simple, just spring cabbage with leeks you blanch the cabbage and leeks and quickly stir-fry them with a bit of butter and oil, and then serve. A really lovely, simple, healthy veggie dish - I've incorporated that into my roast!
Why did you decide to take part in the show?
I just like the show. I like River Cottage and I like Hugh - I think he's a good presenter. As a viewer I find it quite interesting and informative and out of all the food shows on these days, I think that's the one that tries to be a bit different, a little bit more educational. I think that's what drew me to it really.
What did you think of Hugh?
I think he's a complete monster now of course; a nightmare, egotistical. He makes Gordon Ramsay look like Snow White... No, no, actually he was lovely - just what you'd expect. He was very nice, very helpful.
Did it feel very different to work with your co-star from Ashes to Ashes, Keeley Hawes, on something like this?
No, not at all, we just spark off each other. We've done enough going to awards together and signing things to be quite natural with stuff like that. There's not a lot of difference really.
How often do you usually cook?
I'm limited. I enjoy cooking, but I guess we do about fifty-fifty in our house, depending on what the situation is with kids and that sort of thing. Because there's so little time with children these days, you tend to stick to what you know. We all try and eat together as a family, which I think it quite important. I do my share, and what I do, I do very well.
What kinds of thing do you like to cook?
I do a mean roast, quite a bloke-ish thing I know. I do like a roast on a Sunday, so I tend to take charge of that a little bit, and the stir-fries, curries... stuff like that.
You were put in a difficult position at River Cottage where you almost had to kill a chicken. Do you think you could have gone through with it?
I think I probably would have turned round and said that I'm not comfortable killing a chicken. I'm not so much fearful of killing one, it's just getting it wrong. In those situations you don't want to put an animal under duress. You want to just kill it straight off. It's like, if you go hunting (not that I approve of hunting), you're not going to give a rifle to someone who's never shot a rifle before, and say 'look there's the deer, 350 yards away!' You need to be practised in the slaughter of animals. So, in that respect, I would have been very surprised if they'd just let me loose on a chicken.
How did you feel about sticking your hand up a chicken's bottom?
If you're going to eat them, you can't really complain about having to prepare them. I suppose we're so used to having it all prepared for us, particularly in the case of supermarkets. I tend to try and buy my meat and poultry from butchers because firstly, it's supporting the local businesses, which I think is important, and secondly I think the quality of the meat is far superior to that in some of the supermarkets. So, what goes around comes around - you can't really moan about, 'oh I don't like doing this' if you're going to eat it. So, I was alright about all of that.
You had an encounter with an unusual sea creature - what was that like?
Oh yes, it was a huss, which was quite big, like a shark really. I'm not great with fish, I have to say. They're kind of slippery and weird. I love the sea, but I'm not that keen on being in it - I like being near it, and looking at it. So, being on the boat was about the limit for me. [...] It was good fun fishing though - it was the first time I'd been sea fishing. I have to say I harboured a secret enjoyment for it. It's not one of those things that's particularly captured me as a pass time, but I can see the appeal of it having experienced it now.
Has your time at River Cottage changed your attitude towards food?
Not really if I'm honest. But, that's because I'm a follower of the programme and Hugh and I know the sort of work Hugh does towards sustainable food. If we lived in the country, the first thing we would do would be to have a vegetable garden. That would be my wife's idea of heaven, but when you're living in town, you're obviously limited. We've got a few bits and pieces like tomatoes and strawberries, but this is SW14, not Devon! You can't really compare living in Devon to living in London. I wouldn't say I came away saying, 'oh I didn't know that', because I'd seen it on other shows that Hugh's done. That's not disrespect; it's just being a follower of the show
What was your best moment of the whole experience?
It was all quite fun really. The whole experience was quite relaxed, chilled - good company, good wine. But, there was a dish that Hugh cooked, which was absolutely delicious. I showed my wife, and she was like, 'this is good.' It was very simple, just spring cabbage with leeks you blanch the cabbage and leeks and quickly stir-fry them with a bit of butter and oil, and then serve. A really lovely, simple, healthy veggie dish - I've incorporated that into my roast!
Original article can be found here.
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