Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Sven Cycles River Cottage Rambler

By Warren Rossiter

Published: Tuesday, 11 July 2023 at 12:00 am


TV chef, environmentalist, writer and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall lives within riding distance of his famous River Cottage cafe, cooking school and venue in east Devon.

Rather than rely on a car to get between his farm home and the River Cottage, Fearnley-Whittingstall turned to award-winning bike designer and builder Darron Coppin of Sven Cycles.

That initial collaboration led to the Forager – a do-it-all cargo bike designed for off-road foraging excursions.

Fearnley-Whittingstall found the Forager a brilliant bike for day-to-day riding, birdwatching trips and as a vehicle to take him foraging for the wild fruit, veg and herbs that have made his cuisine world famous.

But the severely steep hills in his corner of Devon proved a bit much for him. For instance, the River Cottage is at the bottom of a 10 per cent gradient gravel road. This is a challenge on a lightweight gravel bike – on a heavyweight cargo bike, it’s fierce.