Jamie Oliver; Ministry of Food

D&DD

I'm really looking forward to watching this *had to tape it as the 'boys' started creating when I said I wanted to watch it* Sounds like it will be really interesting although I don't live up North I DO live in an area where people use excuses like that everyday

Welshwoofs

I'm afraid that I can't stand Jamie Oliver, in my view he's one of those people who sees a bandwagon and just has to jump on it in a blaze of publicity.

As an example is the recent Chicken Out campaign which was started by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (who put up £30,000 of his own money to buy Tesco shares to get in on their AGM to raise the issue of chicken welfare). Hugh FW was championing this issue for a good year before it hit the TV (I was at a course at River Cottage about 10 months before the TV campaign and he was talking about it then).

Jamie jumped on that bandwagon and got all the press....and of course he wasn't practicing what he was preaching and it was discovered that his Fifteen restaurant was using intensively farmed chickens.

I'm afraid that I find that the things Jamie does have been done (and are being done) far better by other people and without the self-aggrandising publicity

richardw

Must admit it was interesting, but was a bit slow for a 1 hour slot.

alec_eiffel

I've not seen the show yet but I have it on to watch tonight. I've just read this article by Felicity Lawrence with her take on things -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/oct/01/foodanddrink.oliver

bootsalebabe

I enjoyed the programme last night but found the swearing totally uneccesary, is Jamie trying to be the new Gordon Ramsay? You must also remember that this is television and they set out to cause controversy, it makes for good viewing figures.I can understand that working parents don't have a lot of spare time and are tired at the end of the day, but give them a slow cooker, bung in your veg and meat on a morning, and you will have a hot,nutricious homecooked meal ready when you arrive home!!
BSB

Plum_Pie

MRSTITTLEMOUSE wrote: »

If I blame anyone though I blame the fact that schools stopped teaching domestic science.I don't know when they stopped doing this but my girls are all in their 30s and they did'nt do it.

I blame the Major government for thinking it would be good for the employment opportunities of young British people for them learn about ready meals at school, rather than learning to cook real meals.

I’m 28 and by them time I was at secondary school, Home Ec had been merged with ‘technology’ and clumped together with woodwork lessons, product and graphic design. During the late 90s, it became even worse with kids learning about the catering industry, rather than anything to do with home cooking.

In the few Home Ec classes I had, I was taught some basic nutrition (already covered in biology) but did very little actual cooking, especially of main course-type dishes. (I remember learning about the various ways to make a cake – tasty, but not very useful)

I have a feeling I'm about to get this thread moved to DT, oh well....

Ada_Doom

I thought the programme was interesting and will continue watching to see the outcome.

I do think its unfair to judge the women on it and agree with Pen Pens comments.

In the course of my work i have contact with people who live their lives in really chaotic way.Organizing their small budgets are very challenging for them and i know i would find it very difficult to manage week in week out on what you get for benefits.I think what is most difficult,and what must really grind you down is the relentlessness of the poverty attached to family life on welfare. My family live on a small income and my husband lost his job at the beginning of summer so i do know about having to cope with not very much but I do work and so after payday we have a bit of money at least for a while! I also have a mum who brings round the odd chicken and pack of tea to help out a bit. But some people live every day with little or no money and in an enviroment where there is no expectation of anyting better and i just think that it must be [EMAIL="bl@@dy"]bl@@dy[/EMAIL] depressing! We should be applauding those women for having the nouse to want to change.

carriebradshaw

I haven't seen it yet, will have to catch it on 4oD later,sounds interesting anyway.I'm not a big fan of Jamie Oliver but I did like what he tried to do with changing school dinners though as they are appalling.

bullet_2

One of my minor obsessions is with cooking and planning and preparing meals so my children have had the vast majority of their meals homecooked since they were weaned. That doesn't mean we don't have takeaways sometimes, but I like being able to prepare and plan things. Plus I like to go for a lot of older recipes and meal plans, which have less processed stuff in them.
I'm very lucky where I live though as I am within easy walking distance of a supermarket, a butchers and a market, so can easily get access to lots of fresh ingredients. I imagine it must be less motivating if the only shop round for ages is the local Spar or equivalent thereof.

Bunny200

I was very moved by this programme and saddened that so many people live this way, and thats not in a patronisting way. I grew up in a deprived area but back in the 70s so I learnt at my mothers knee and very grateful for that education although I don't live in that environment or manner now I can understand how hard it is for people to change their live. As a Ada Doom mentioned there is little expectation of a great life in these environs and its very hard ( although not impossible) to pull yourself out. I think Jamie Oliver is great and I won't hear a bad word about him in my house,but I feel he's bitten off more than he can chew in this case. Its not just a case of the ability to cook its much wider than that, running a household, budgeting, shopping, understanding foor & nutrition and what to buy. Best solution would be to pair up Martin and Jamie and have a holistic approach to how young people live their life. I admire people like Jamie who actually stand up to say something we all say but do nothing about, the government could never do something like this, and yes we live in a celebrity diven society so its good that some celebrities use their influence to improve people life, because lets face it, Jamie Oliver doesn't need to do this. He makes millions as it is, he doesn't live in these areas, its not affecting him in his daily life but he still wants to change things. Good luck to him I say but its more than just cooking, imo