A Girl's Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking

I am a sucker for the genre, Australian River Cottage, Gourmet Farmer and The Beach are each shows I've watched over and over as they pop up on SBS. Despite being a bit wary of grown women who wear overalls (and aren't a diesel mechanic) I finally watched this recently.

Tasmania comes across as beautiful as ever, the food is perhaps a bit unobtainable at times, but certainly looks delicious. Annaliese seems comfy with her neighbours and cheffy guests, but as lovely and quaint as it all feels, it's also a bit too shallow to satisfy totally. Like a series of Instagram stories on a slightly bigger screen.

In the first five minutes we're told how she is burnt out from the fancy chef lifestyle and keen for the simpler life, but never really goes there again? Sure, we're told of the simple pleasures her new life affords from time to time, but it all comes off a bit contrived. If she could have shared a bit more here I think the show would have worked in a very strong and unique way for the genre. Especially as she held back most of her recipes or tips on charcuterie, cheese making etc.

Her style did work though, I grew to get used to the overalls and found her a bit adorable by the end. I'm sure I'll try the next series when the itsy bitsy restaurant gets under way.

Its sort of interesting I suppose ... She moves to Tasmania.. and this is really just a "travel blog" without the travel.

There's no "guide" here. There's not a great deal of trying to provide informative bits. It's more about her narrating or talking to camera about what she's doing in a very "you must not be looking at the screen" way. So, if you want to know what she's planting in her garden, she'll explain. If you want to know HOW she's cooking something, she doesn't explain at all. If you want to know WHAT she's going to hunt, she'll introduce you to someone new and tell you what or where they are going to "hunt". If you want to know HOW she's hunting, no one really explains much of anything beyond a cursory "common sense" explanation.

So many missed opportunities to be a "guide" -- She catches a flounder, rather than explaining how to clean and prepare it for cooking, you simply see her throw it on a fire. She catches scallops, rather than her explaining how to prepare them for cooking... you just see her cooking. You see a room full of hanging meat.. she COULD have explained how and why it's hanging.. but nope. There's really no attempt to "teach" as would be expected in a "guide".

It's a day to day account of her time at her new home in a new area. Fixing the house, the landscape, making a garden, chopping weeds, shooting with a friend, etc.

The largest thing, for me, is how monotone the episodes are. Her voice doesn't really have any tonal inflection to convey excitement or anything. It's like listening to a TED talk. No variation overall. Simple monotone narration.

While it's interesting... I didn't find it compelling in ANY way. I'm not really vested in how her garden is doing or watching people chop weeds, spread mulch, till the soil, etc. Seems like a great deal of "filler" content overall. Always with the monotone voice over.

I was expecting a GUIDE... nope. It's a "Journal" or "Diary" not a guide.

My husband and I have loved sitting down of an evening and watching Analiese's show. It has been so interesting to see her live off the land and explain all of the different produce she uses (and often forages for!) in each episode. I never knew there was just so much you could use!

We've particularly loved seeing her connect with the locals and learn from others - from beekeeping, to raising pigs, to getting ferrets to solve a wild rabbit problem. Everything she makes is just amazing - don't watch the show on an empty stomach, you'll get hungry quick.

We're fascinated by her incredible bank of knowledge, from such amazing experience as a chef, and the unique twists she does on every recipe she makes. Such cool ingredients, most of which she finds in her own backyard or surrounds in the Tasmanian wilderness!

I've seen another user comment that it doesn't 'guide,' which struck me as funny - they mustn't have read the premise of the show or watched the introduction in each episode. This is about Analiese moving from a busy cheffing background to a slower pace in Tasmania and documenting her life as she learns and grows there. Yes, the title contains the word 'guide' but we've not taken that as a literal 'Analiese, tell me how to scale a fish'. It's not a cooking show (thankfully, as I'd be hopeless and have no hope of recreating these dishes), it's a show about Analiese and her new lifestyle in Tasmania and what she is learning and discovering there. But funnily enough, along the way, we are learning so much from her in terms of using all that you have, being conscious of the environment around you and so on. So she is guiding after all, leading by example.

Anyway, this is well worth a watch, we're hoping for a Season 2 at some stage!