TV CHEF Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has vowed his River Cottage HQ cookery school will rise from the ashes after a devastating fire.

He pledge to rebuild the school – built in a seventeenth-century barn – which burned to the ground at his Park Farm base.

The cook learned the news 36 hours after the blaze on February 7 via satellite while away on a long distance trip filming in the southern oceans.

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall said he was deeply saddened and shocked by the fire but paid tribute to the firefighters who battled the blaze.

He said: “I’m so shocked to hear the news of the fire in our barn at Park Farm, our River Cottage HQ. I’m filming a long way away right now and it’s just impossible to imagine.

“Obviously it’s a huge relief that nobody’s been hurt and I’m very grateful to the local fire brigade for their prompt response and all their help.”

He added: “I understand there’s already a plan under way to set up a working field kitchen so we can continue to host our events, teach our courses and look after our guests.

“In due course we’ll set about restoring our lovely barn to its former glory.”

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and the police are still investigating how the fire started, at around 10pm on Tuesday last week.

Steven Lamb, head of events at River Cottage, said: “It is totally devastating.

“There is a lot of passion and emotional attachment to what we do here.”