Who watched Jamie Oliver's budget meal show last night?

I like jamie, its the pure estuary accent and his enthusiasm that gets me though! I watched last night and might try the hangover noodles out of that show and they certainly wont be costing me £1.76 pp......but not much else.....my DD commented that she doesnt understand how any of his recipes work as he doesnt measure anything and just glugs and sloshes away to his hearts content!:rotfl:

Chi-me wrote: »

Some interesting comments both pro and con Thank you all.

My concerns are with the amount of ingredients needed which could create waste. Those pots of sweet smoked paprika are expensive and as one poster already pointed out the 10p worth used may not warrant the whole pot if you don't regularly use the stuff. He also sploshes olive oil around like it's rain water.
he does use IMO far too much oil and salt. And vanilla. Unpalatable amounts. The soaked sweet paprika is a spice he favours. It appears in a few recipes, so the idea would be I imagine its costed to this recipe with the idea of using it in other recipes over a long time period. Spices well stored have a very long shelve live, whatever Bart's would have us believe. I go by what I call the 'pyramids' theory for dry goods. Several years ago they planted and grew things stored in jars from a pyramid. Because it had been stored dry, dark aend sealed it grew. Some sweet paprika can last as long as I take to use it up. It might lose a little potency, but if I keep it dry, dark and sealed, it'll do. I shan't tell you how old my tin is. .
I really like the idea posted about shopping around, just like Jack Monroe would and wrote on my blog that I'd like to see her create a series just like Jamie's, a real person working to a real budget. I'd watch that!

I'm not digging JO, he's a great British chef and a good man to boot.

When its considered one of the hugest issues in the country is food waste purchasing and cost is not the sole issue for poverty of diet in this country, Proportionately we spend a Low percentage ( historically) of income on food. And see obesity across economic classes, including those who have least at the same time we are seeing malnutrition, Purchasing wisdom and making good palatable so that we enjoy eating less, but what we eat is perhaps MORE tasty and more nutritious choices.

Edit...soaked was an auto correct for smoked! My tablet is a health freak.

Chi-me wrote: »

Some interesting comments both pro and con Thank you all.

My concerns are with the amount of ingredients needed which could create waste. Those pots of sweet smokeded paprika are expensive and as one poster already pointed out the 10p worth used may not warrant the whole pot if you don't regularly use the stuff. He also sploshes olive oil around like it's rain water.

I really like the idea posted about shopping around, just like Jack Monroe would and wrote on my blog that I'd like to see her create a series just like Jamie's, a real person working to a real budget. I'd watch that!

I'm not digging JO, he's a great British chef and a good man to boot.

If someone is unable to recognise that a recipe which uses a fairly high cost ingredient that they seldom use is unlikely to be frugal or low waste then perhaps we might at least apportion some of the blame to them rather than the tv chef who is in no way forcing them to make the dish. Sorry, I know that sounds really snotty and I don't mean to be mean.

I think Jamie is a bit of a tool but I don't have a problem with his show. As far as I'm aware tge programme is not marketed at those on the breadline but as alluded to by other posters, people looking to cut down their food spends and/or get better value from what they do buy. I've made one of the money saving meals from scratch and it's become a firm favourite. Most of his other recipes I use more as inspiration to see what can be done using leftovers/limited time.

The problem with OS is that it's a self selecting group who tend to have budgetting and cooking skills far in excess of the level of joe public. These programmes are thus always a disappointment to the OS board. Over the years it seems to me that it has also focused increasingly on very low budget cooking/shopping. There's no shame in needing to cut a shopping budget to bare minimum and there are hugely inspirational posts all over OS from people doing just that. Equally there is no shame in having a higher food budget and experimenting (I don't only eat 'basic foods' at home although equally you can't beat egg and chips)/choosing higher cost foods. I buy organic FR eggs because of my own moral choices and because I like how they taste. To me they represent good value, to someone else they won't.

I guess I just can't see why people don't just turn over/make the programme they want to see/google alternatives to smoked paprika recipes.