FOOD TVPhilippa Forrester

Halcyon River Diaries Philippa Forrester on following the seasons in the kitchen and growing your own ingredients

One of the many highlights of the Halcyon River Diaries has been watching Philippa Forrester and her excitable family of boys raise an equally excitable family of ducks. With ducklings regularly going AWOL, the ever-present threat of hungry foxes and Philippa’s sons – nine-year-old Fred, Gus (six), and Arthur (three) – desperate to give their furry pets a cuddle, the ducks have become amusing, adorable additions to the family.

So we can’t help hoping that Philippa isn’t rearing them to eat…that she isn’t going to do a Gordon Ramsay and one day they’ll be roasted and wind up on a plate!

"No, I won’t do a Gordon, I can’t take a cleaver to Twinkletoes," she laughs. "I know that’s what we should be doing – rearing our own produce to eat, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Even though the ducks are nothing but trouble at the minute.

"They pootle by the river by day but at night I put them in an electric pen to protect them from foxes. Well, I try  – you should see me chasing around at 11pm trying to catch them. It’s like something from Benny Hill!"

Philippa’s four-part BBC1 series on the wildlife of a typical English river, draws to an end this week. Seen through the eyes of Philippa, her wildlife cameraman husband Charlie Hamilton James, and their sons – who all live beside the West Country river – filming has been a real labour of love.

"I hope viewers will feel they’ve had a lovely dose of the countryside and come away feeling they know more about wildlife," says former Tomorrow’s World presenter Philippa. "All children start off fascinated by animals and nature – it’s up to us to allow that to develop and hopefully ignite a passion, which is a lot healthier than computer games!

"People told us we were mad to work with children and animals for this series and we’ve had our moments. But actually, it’s been a real privilege to spend time together as a family, focus on the river and bond through nature."

Living in the countryside, she prefers to grow as much food as she can for her family.

"There’s something deeply satisfying about cooking food I’ve grown or found on the land," says Philippa, who shares her watercress soup with squash and sweet potato with us below.

"I grow potatoes, beans, pumpkins, butternut squash, rhubarb, raspberries, blackcurrants; it’s so easy. Even if you don’t have a big garden, buy a blackcurrant bush and it’ll churn out enough fruit to have blackcurrant jam for a year. Grow herbs on your windowsill, plants carrots – my boys love puling up vegetables they’ve grown for dinner.

"It’s nice to celebrate the seasons too. Wild garlic is in flower along rivers at the moment so I pick it from the bank and make pesto with it. Go and have a poke about by a river near you. It doesn’t smell on your breathe either, so you won’t lose any friends!"

FOOD TVRecipe

Full Recipe: Philippa's watercress soup with squash and sweet potato