Jamie Oliver

Butterfly_Brain

p-pincher wrote: »

It seems like nothing divides us OS'ers like a bit of JO. Personally I'm a fan. At the end of the day if you don't like him don't watch his programme or buy his books. I think his recipes look really nice, my kind of food but somebody like Mum would be horrified as not many of the recipes would be her cup of tea.

Very much in the style of the economy Gastronomy which is one cookbook that I regularly use.

So do I and I would love to see another series of Economy Gastronomy it was a lot better and Paul Merrett and Allegra McEvedy explained things really clearly

Almo

I'm no particular fan of JO, nor do I particularly dislike him. I can't understand the heated responses his programme has garnered though. He's a celebrity chef on a commercial station and the programme was aimed at people looking to cut back/get better value, not people experiencing food poverty. The only response on OS seems to be that if he's not making dishes for the average family (2 adult, 2 children it would seem) that cost 9p a portion, it's not worth watching.

OS is about value for money, not necessarily spending as little money as possible. I've been in a position of needing to have a very small food budget, I know how tough it is and I don't envy anyone wrestling to feed themselves with constantly rising food prices and a very low budget. However, some posters here are looking for value, not just cost. I buy some things at the W supermarket that is sneered at on here - I can't get them elsewhere. I don't do my full shop there by any means but buying groceries elsewhere than Tesco doesn't make me some kind of extravagant lush!

I don't know why there isn't an equivalent backlash to Great British Bake Off, is it because it's the BBC? Marketing it as some gentle hark back to a kinder era of home baking is genius, but I'm not sure the classic home baker spent much time knocking up petit fours or bread made to resemble a peacock.

lostinrates

Goldiegirl wrote: »

The amount of thanks this post got suggests a lot of people agree.

Although I enjoy cooking meals and feeling that I've got value for money, I've stopped posting as much on the Old Style board, as I feel out of step, not being interested in getting 10 portions for 50p

Threads like these remind me why as much as I love old style I often feel unwelcome here. The tone of against people who want to live old style but not imminent poverty line old style is clear in threads like this.

We live old style (in some things) because we believe its economically prudent way to make our money to furthest, because we believe it is often the most environmentally sound way to live, and because it seems ' right' to us. To us, spending a lot on one joint of meat is normal, and old style in a different way but no less old style. we don't eat meat very often. We would also use cheaper cuts, but we use expensive joints because we buy in bulk, whole or half animals, or shared butcherings of beef animals.

Food is a social and health issue for us. Both immediate ( I have medical restrictions which preclude some foods) and long term, we feel a good diet saves money in the long run if you have it at the time (I.e are not on the bread line). This can be personal financial savings (less IME off work, less money spent on supporting health conditions etc) and for the economy, if we all ate for better health then then the money the NHs uses for the conditions brought on by misguided dietary choices would be able to be out to different use.

But also, the wealth gained financially in the social gains of cooking and eating 'properly and together' and In harder to quantify well being in 'eating well'. Things that we all know about families who share meals tend to be better adjusted, to talk more, have time to work through minor issues before they become big ones, laugh together, moan together.

In the last fifteen years or so food has changed in this country. Its become cool to cook, to care where food comes from, to eat well. Our reputation internationally for cuisine has gone from laughable to laudable..and this has started in kitchens in our homes and our interest in food.

I admire greatly those of you who feed you family through the very hard times on very little, I know I would turn to you for help if I needed that guidance. I manage to feed us and our visitors rather well on a rather more normal budget than it looks like from the outside. This is partlY because of good interest in food at home, but also because people started caring about food, and I wanted to be ale to cater like my mother but providing it on my penny pinching budget.

I really do think there is something some old styles could learn from some of the food chefs on tv. Some of the menus we share are amazing, I admire the breadth and imagination of so many of you. Other old styles I do think could do to expand their repertoires a little, and enjoy bringing their budgeting skill to a wider range of newer fresher tastes and different ways of eating.


The ultimate test of course, is pretty hard, and that's to put the so favourite recipes along side JO and get a blind taste test. I have to say, reading recipes here I often take inspiration rather than following rigidly (as I hope people would any I shared) and I do the same with cheffy books. But if I had to go all out for flavour in one direction.....:o

kiss_me_now9

catkins wrote: »

She was having a dig at Jamie saying not everyone can buy fruit and veg from a market. She said there is no market where she lives so she has no choice but to buy from supermarkets. Well she lives in Southend, where I was pretty sure there is a market a couple of days a week, but there are definitely Asian supermarkets there where you can buy cheap fruit and veg, along with spices, herbs, big bags of onions, rice etc. There are also an Aldi and Lidl, both of which do the weekly range of cheap fruit and veg but she fails to mention that

Where I went to uni (Bangor, North Wales), there was no greengrocer. There was a couple of butchers but nowhere to buy fruit and veg from apart from Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons and if you had a car or fancied a 25 minute walk each way, Tesco. Lidl and Aldi's fresh food quality was awful and various people I know got food poisoning from their meat. Morrisons was right in the middle of town so the prices were much higher than you'd find in a Morrisons that had other competitors. And yet Bangor is in an area that has ridiculously high rates of poverty compared to the rest of the UK; and a higher rate of childhood obesity as well.

There is now an Asda and two Asian food markets (but they don't sell fresh food) but in my first and second years it was Morrisons or nothing really.

kezlou

Any wrote: »

Does actually anybody think that you have to have exactly the same food processor, pan and yoghurt that he or any chef uses on the TV?? If so, there is really no help for those people...

Unless it is a wok pan for example, where I a advised it will be easier cooking if it is iodinised pan or what ever...

Some of the bashig on here really is becoming ridiculous... I am out.

And apparently only heating engineers shouldn't go on the TV with a beer... everybody else can!:D

No what pees me off is that the media portrays all workies as boozy fools who can wait till 5pm to have a pint of whatever. When most just want to come in, have a bath, eat, have a cup of coffee and collapse on the sofa after working very long hours.

Oh and my by not every one will realise that they can get a basic model instead of an all dancing one. Most will assume that will need the expensive one to make dough in.
Much the same as the pizza pans.


Not everyone thinks ahead like that.
Like i say i prefer his older programs as he seemed to more personality and pizazz with them. His posh baked beans is lush and a firm favourite in our house. I just didn't really like this program as it flashed all the over the place.

I must agree with lostinrates when we buy meat we tend to buy good quality meat as it has more flavour. We don't really buy cheap meat as it has more water and looks anaemic. I tend to shop at local butchers as i like to know where our food comes on.

some people can be quite nasty regarding price per portions. Where i like to cook nice food what we all enjoy for a reasonable amount of money.
Its the same with food restrictions, if my youngest doesn't eat a certain amount of fresh food a day he becomes very constipated and has sever cramps. Same with dairy he needs a lot because of his hypermobilty. So we eat a lot of fresh food which is 95% cooked that day. I believe a healthy diet is the best way to live.

honeythewitch

Gigervamp wrote: »

Regarding the product placement, as has been stated, it's entirely legal now. The show is on a commercial channel and is sponsored by Uncle Ben's (hence Jamie using Uncle Ben's rice in one recipe). It seems like every show on commercial channels is sponsored by one brand or another. I wonder if, without the sponsorship, would these shows even be made?

I thought it was a bit odd to have uncle Ben's because (unless you particularly like it) it is far from the best value rice.

Goldiegirl wrote: »

The amount of thanks this post got suggests a lot of people agree.

Although I enjoy cooking meals and feeling that I've got value for money, I've stopped posting as much on the Old Style board, as I feel out of step, not being interested in getting 10 portions for 50p

It can sometimes get a bit competitive. If one person uses the oven another will chastise them for not building a campfire from gathered wood. :rotfl: But I am sure everyone is just trying their best to help, and there are many who need to know how to do it all for rock bottom prices.

I think Jamie Oliver might have got a better reaction if he hadnt mentioned families who are so poor they need to buy food instead of televisions, and then present a show that is of little use to them.
It is little wonder they want to tell him where to shove his "expensive" rice.

lostinrates

kezlou wrote: »

No what pees me off is that the media portrays all workies as boozy fools who can wait till 5pm to have a pint of whatever. When most just want to come in, have a bath, eat, have a cup of coffee and collapse on the sofa after working very long hours.

Oh and my by not every one will realise that they can get a basic model instead of an all dancing one. Most will assume that will need the expensive one to make dough in.
Much the same as the pizza pans.


Not everyone thinks ahead like that.
Like i say i prefer his older programs as he seemed to more personality and pizazz with them. His posh baked beans is lush and a firm favourite in our house. I just didn't really like this program as it flashed all the over the place.

I must agree with lostinrates when we buy meat we tend to buy good quality meat as it has more flavour. We don't really buy cheap meat as it has more water and looks anaemic. I tend to shop at local butchers as i like to know where our food comes on.

some people can be quite nasty regarding price per portions. Where i like to cook nice food what we all enjoy for a reasonable amount of money.
Its the same with food restrictions, if my youngest doesn't eat a certain amount of fresh food a day he becomes very constipated and has sever cramps. Same with dairy he needs a lot because of his hypermobilty. So we eat a lot of fresh food which is 95% cooked that day. I believe a healthy diet is the best way to live.

Think back to Keith floyd though....not a heating engineer but an upper middle class restauranter turned tv cook...who couldn't wait till five o'clock! Or nigella, who cannot go though the night without fridge picking. I think quite often they show people drinking their preferred tipple at a gathering on these things don't they?


( glad we agree about food value overall!)

kippers

Allegra wrote: »

But surely we - Old Stylers, people on low incomes, people who really need to make every penny work for them until it drops dead of sheer exhaustion - are of a sufficient number in order to justify a TV company finally making a program that makes sense to us - and perhaps even teach the old dogs a few new tricks ?

I can see what Jamie is trying to do, but there are a lot of people out there now who need to cut back alot more than he is suggesting and it would be lovely to cater for them too.

I think that is what is brilliant about this forum. I have learnt so much from it over the years and I and a few others now have blogs where we also share our experience (mine is moneysaving and allotment growing / froogs is moneysaving etc etc).

I do agree it would be nice to have a TV program to show what we all do to save money, especially with our oldstyle tips.

daisiegg

lostinrates wrote: »

Threads like these remind me why as much as I love old style I often feel unwelcome here. The tone of against people who want to live old style but not imminent poverty line old style is clear in threads like this.

We live old style (in some things) because we believe its economically prudent way to make our money to furthest, because we believe it is often the most environmentally sound way to live, and because it seems ' right' to us. To us, spending a lot on one joint of meat is normal, and old style in a different way but no less old style. we don't eat meat very often. We would also use cheaper cuts, but we use expensive joints because we buy in bulk, whole or half animals, or shared butcherings of beef animals.

Food is a social and health issue for us. Both immediate ( I have medical restrictions which preclude some foods) and long term, we feel a good diet saves money in the long run if you have it at the time (I.e are not on the bread line). This can be personal financial savings (less IME off work, less money spent on supporting health conditions etc) and for the economy, if we all ate for better health then then the money the NHs uses for the conditions brought on by misguided dietary choices would be able to be out to different use.

But also, the wealth gained financially in the social gains of cooking and eating 'properly and together' and In harder to quantify well being in 'eating well'. Things that we all know about families who share meals tend to be better adjusted, to talk more, have time to work through minor issues before they become big ones, laugh together, moan together.

In the last fifteen years or so food has changed in this country. Its become cool to cook, to care where food comes from, to eat well. Our reputation internationally for cuisine has gone from laughable to laudable..and this has started in kitchens in our homes and our interest in food.

I admire greatly those of you who feed you family through the very hard times on very little, I know I would turn to you for help if I needed that guidance. I manage to feed us and our visitors rather well on a rather more normal budget than it looks like from the outside. This is partlY because of good interest in food at home, but also because people started caring about food, and I wanted to be ale to cater like my mother but providing it on my penny pinching budget.

I really do think there is something some old styles could learn from some of the food chefs on tv. Some of the menus we share are amazing, I admire the breadth and imagination of so many of you. Other old styles I do think could do to expand their repertoires a little, and enjoy bringing their budgeting skill to a wider range of newer fresher tastes and different ways of eating.


The ultimate test of course, is pretty hard, and that's to put the so favourite recipes along side JO and get a blind taste test. I have to say, reading recipes here I often take inspiration rather than following rigidly (as I hope people would any I shared) and I do the same with cherry books. But if I had to go all out for flavour in one direction.....:o

As usual, I completely agree with you!

ALIBOBSY

p-pincher wrote: »

It seems like nothing divides us OS'ers like a bit of JO. Personally I'm a fan. At the end of the day if you don't like him don't watch his programme or buy his books. I think his recipes look really nice, my kind of food but somebody like Mum would be horrified as not many of the recipes would be her cup of tea.

Very much in the style of the economy Gastronomy which is one cookbook that I regularly use.

I agree with this. I think some people have a real downer on JO, a bit like marmite I think, some like some hate lol.

I have both the 30 min and 15 min meals books-bought cheap from the book clubs by OH for crimbo pressies and have used and enjoyed meals from them both, BUT my economy gastronomy book has had far, far more use and I was so disappointed they didn't make another series. The good thing about that book is it has sections on equipment, planning, shopping and store cupboard advice-stuff that was glossed over in the programme because of time, but is really needed to get a grip on budget cooking-I love the fact that Allegra talks about food waste and how we should use more of our own judgement on food rather than obsess with "dates".

Haven't seen the JO new book, but would hope he would have some notes on store cupboard items and planning for weekly menus than would be able to be covered in a programme.

Ali x