Celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has spoken of his shock after the 17th-century barn which housed his cookery school kitchens was destroyed in a fire.

The chef was out of radio range filming in the Southern Ocean on Tuesday evening when staff at the River Cottage headquarters in Axminster on the Devon and Dorset border were trying to contact him.

After 36 hours, they were finally able to get hold of him via satellite, said a spokesman for River Cottage.

In a message back, the celebrated Westcountry chef said: "I'm so shocked to hear the news of the fire in our barn at Park Farm, our River Cottage HQ.

"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.

"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 the coming months. I've no doubt the whole River Cottage team will be pulling together to make this happen and, in due course, we'll set about restoring our lovely Devon barn to its former glory.

"Thanks so much to all those who have sent us messages of support."

The fire service is continuing its investigation.

Eight fire engines and 80 firefighters spent about three hours tackling the blaze.

Mike Burroughs, of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is too early to speculate on the cause of the fire.

"But I can categorically state that the fire did not start in the wood-fired bread oven or the fish smoker."

Nobody lives permanently at the farm and the alarm was only raised by a gardener who was staying overnight in a flat in the farmhouse while working there. The cookery school kitchen roof has been completely destroyed by the fire, with much of the wood charred and blackened.