Why do you think he should not be selling? Is it just that Bath is the wrong place in your view? or that he should only making a living the telly? Why exactly?
Ah steady on now there old chap. It’s a whole other thread I guess about the preachy sleb chefs which personally wind me up. Anyway, I’ll quote Jay Rayner’s article about his new place in Bath (I only reference Bath because it’s nearby), because he writes it far more interestingly than I could:
…Where I have parted with him is when, in my opinion, he has attempted to turn what are basically a bunch of lifestyle choices for the affluent – ones I buy into – into part of a wider debate on public nutrition, which they are not…
….Most tiresome of all, however, is the endless flogging of River Cottage product. On the table were leaflets, one pimping the latest River Cottage book, others pushing everything from River Cottage membership at £35, through the evening events from £60 a head to the day courses from £135 per person. To one side is a pile of River Cottage books and videos. Smart to put them in rustic wooden crates, but that cannot disguise the push for sales. I am not naive. Any business needs to make money. The problem arises when that business has built ethical values into the heart of its brand which can only result in the product being pored over in exquisite detail. To my mind, this one sometimes comes up wanting.
Full Article Here
BTW, the food there is apparently quite good.