Cook on the Wild Side gastro-wagon.

A Cook on the Wild Side was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's television debut, a Channel 4 series (two runs, aired 1995 and 1997) in which the chef travelled Britain foraging and cooking as he went. For the first series a 109" Land Rover was built into the 'Gastrowagon': the rear carried a fully kitted cooking station with two-ring gas hob, water-fed sink, fridge, oven and even an ice-cream maker under a weatherproof canopy, an upturned boat on the roof doubled as a sleeping bunk, and a camera frame on the bonnet allowed filming on the move.

The base vehicle is a petrol 109" - the Land Rover Heritage Collection describes it as a 1965 Series II 109 with the 2.25-litre petrol engine, while Bonhams catalogued it in 2020 as 'c.1982' after its HEB 170X registration; its chassis number (25108476B) is consistent with a 1960s Series II, so the registration appears to be a later issue. After filming ended the truck faded into obscurity and was rediscovered in poor condition.

Classic Land Rover specialists John Brown 4x4 restored the Gastrowagon to 'like new' condition with its conversion intact, and Fearnley-Whittingstall signed the bulkhead after completion. It was sold at Bonhams' December 2020 MPH auction at Bicester Heritage for 28,125 pounds including premium.

The vehicle is now displayed at the Land Rover Heritage Collection's Somerset base - fittingly near Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage HQ - where it is held on loan under the collection's Exhibit Loan Scheme as exhibit SCR-01.