Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Farm 'severly damaged' in blaze
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was abraod at the time of the fire
A SERIOUS fire has "severely damaged" celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Park Farm.
The blaze, which happened just after 10pm last night, has left the River Cottage team at the chef's headquarters in , Devon, "shocked and upset".
Fearnley-Whittingstall, who is away filming, is yet to find out about the fire, a spokesman said.
The cause of the blaze is unknown.
Emergency services, including the police and fire crews, went to the scene after the single-storey building caught fire.
Fire and Rescue Service said eight fire engines and 80 firefighters attended the farm after receiving calls to a commercial kitchen on fire.
The fire was brought under control after nearly three hours and there were no injuries.
A spokesman for River Cottage said: "Late last night a serious fire severely damaged the main barn at River Cottage Park Farm headquarters in Axminster.
"Thankfully, no people, or animals, were hurt.
"The River Cottage team are dealing with the damage today and are shocked and upset.
"Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is away on a long-distance filming trip and will be informed as soon as he can be contacted.
"The River Cottage team would like to say a big thank you to the fire brigade, who were on the scene quickly and worked hard to contain the fire."
A spokesman for the fire service said: "We received calls to a commercial kitchen on fire.
The roof of the cookery school kitchen, in a barn at the farm, has been completely destroyed by the fire, with much of the wood charred and blackened.
Fearnley-Whittingstall, a chef, writer, broadcaster and campaigner, moved into the original River Cottage in Dorset in 1998 to start growing and rearing food of his own.
In 2006 the headquarters moved into the farm near the Devon and Dorset border.
Based in Axminster, it is the base for running courses and events in line with the chef's commitment to ethically-produced food.
Fearnley-Whittingstall gained fame following his River Cottage TV series which led to the publication of The River Cottage Cookbook.
