Jamie Oliver

Allegra

Goldiegirl wrote: »

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

I can't say that I am particularly interested in it, either - but that does not make me blind to the fact that some people have to be interested in it, as that is all they've got, and they have to stretch it as far as they possibly can.

My guess is that it's people in that position that are most likely to fly off the handle when someone (happens to be Jamie in this instance, but could be Mrs Moneypenny or India Knight or anyone of that kidney) talks about "savings" and "tight budgets", yet then requires amounts of money that they can only dream about.

I can not find it in me to blame anyone who sees red, as it were, in such circumstances. Fear and stress often come out as anger, and can appear unfortunately personal - which sadly ends up backfiring, because the underlying point gets lost in name calling and axe grinding.

As I said before - I like Jamie, I appreciate what he does..... But there is a space - no, a need, for someone who can share with us all how to feed three on £18 a week.

After all, how many of us can be sure that we will never, ever, ever, as long as we live, have any need for that knowledge ? Manure happens. Fact.

Almo wrote: »

I don't know why there isn't an equivalent backlash to Great British Bake Off, is it because it's the BBC?

I am guessing because the Bake Off does not claim to be a moneysaving show, so people will approach it as entertainment and eye candy - not with a desperate hope that they might learn another trick to keep them afloat a little bit longer - and then lash out when the inevitable let down happens.

cbrown372

kippers wrote: »

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.

Absolutely great that this forum is here for tips and recipes but would I want to watch a vegetable cooking 15 different ways, I really don't think so and neither do I read blogs I have to say.

People watch tv programmes to see something different and to entertain. As I type I'm watching Masterchef and while I won't be heading to the kitchen to replicate what they are cooking it does, as lostinrates said, gives you ideas for the future. Same with Great British Bake Off, watched last week and one girl made a cake using grapefruit which made me buy a grapefruit as I realised I hadn't had one for years

Jamie himself said on The One Show that he was ill-advised to say what he did about TVs but it did in fact happen on his show where he went into people's homes. As I understand the premise of this show is to use up left-overs and if that saves people money, then it works.

[Deleted User]

Ok my twopenneth. I like Jamie Oliver, but a show that bashes a certain so called fringe of people and then blatently pushes Uncle Bens rice is not, in my opinion, money saving. I suppose when you have been at this years like i have, you think what does he know. He says that hes been to parts of the world where they cook meals for very little, personally I would have been more interested in these dishes. OS is full of people who are proud to be able to turn out dishes for pence, but im sure people don't mean to make others feel uncomfortable. Here is a video of Martin talking to Jamie about his prog - I have to say he was very diplomatic and Jamie looked quiet uncomfortable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLsVLUGfeds&feature=youtu.be

lostinrates

Save_Dosh wrote: »

Ok my twopenneth. I like Jamie Oliver, but a show that bashes a certain so called fringe of people and then blatently pushes Uncle Bens rice is not, in my opinion, money saving. I suppose when you have been at this years like i have, you think what does he know. He says that hes been to parts of the world where they cook meals for very little, personally I would have been more interested in these dishes. OS is full of people who are proud to be able to turn out dishes for pence, but im sure people don't mean to make others feel uncomfortable. Here is a video of Martin talking to Jamie about his prog - I have to say he was very diplomatic and Jamie looked quiet uncomfortable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLsVLUGfeds&feature=youtu.be

You go to different parts of the world and food is different prices and vegetables that are as cheap as basic potatoes here are cheap there, but might be dear here.

When I was a child my family moved internationally a lot. I remember the first thing my mother did was check out the supermarket/ shops and then make friends with people to find out how to cook vegetables she wasn't familiar with (my mother wasn't British and had already made a move to uk).

Much, mush later I moved to Italy with my Italian DH and was faced with the occasional veg I hadn't seen before, usually a leafy green, and I found the best way to deal with this was to beam at women around me in the supermarket or market and say, 'I'm English and don't know this vegetable, please tell me what it is called' then I'd ask them what their favourite way of cooking it was. I loved this, not just for the thrill of finding a new vegetable, but also because groups of people would gather and start telling me what to do and what they did and what their mother's did and what that neighbour of theirs who was NOT a good cook did and was it true we put meat in our Christmas cakes.....:D

I have some recipes from all over which were cheap where they were but are rather expensive here.

honeythewitch

cbrown372 wrote: »

Absolutely great that this forum is here for tips and recipes but would I want to watch a vegetable cooking 15 different ways, I really don't think so and neither do I read blogs I have to say.

People watch tv programmes to see something different and to entertain. As I type I'm watching Masterchef and while I won't be heading to the kitchen to replicate what they are cooking it does, as lostinrates said, gives you ideas for the future. Same with Great British Bake Off, watched last week and one girl made a cake using grapefruit which made me buy a grapefruit as I realised I hadn't had one for years

Jamie himself said on The One Show that he was ill-advised to say what he did about TVs but it did in fact happen on his show where he went into people's homes. As I understand the premise of this show is to use up left-overs and if that saves people money, then it works.

Is there anybody in the world who buys a large joint of beef for fourteen pounds, eats half, cant think what to do with the rest and chucks seven quids worth in the bin?

kezlou

I do see your point lostinrates:)

Maybe its just me but I don't like the programs encouraging drinking either. But thats just my own personal thinking. Or maybe my 9 year old son has finally wore off on me with his repeated tuttings whenever a person drinks alcohol near an oven.

My friend has an old austrian recipe book, the recipes are very cheap to make now due to the eastern european stores here. I make goulash which its expensive here but in russia its dirt cheap. It just depends on where you are and what you eat.

(glad to know I'm not the only one )

maman

I find it hard to get as worked up about this as many posters.

I pick and choose. I pick and choose both between programmes and within programmes. So I'm with the posters who watch to try and pick up a few ideas to adapt and to be entertained. Other programmes (like Mrs Moneypenny and her orange hat) I just don't watch as it's such patronising twaddle.

Two comments:

• other than being kind and generous, why invite what seems like dozens of people to join him when the portions/recipes are family size?
• while there's a place for encouraging people to skim the surface of expensive eating by tackling food waste, it's not very tactful in the current climate when so many people are on poverty money and using food banks.

lostinrates

kezlou wrote: »

I do see your point lostinrates:)

Maybe its just me but I don't like the programs encouraging drinking either. But thats just my own personal thinking. Or maybe my 9 year old son has finally wore off on me with his repeated tuttings whenever a person drinks alcohol near an oven.

My friend has an old austrian recipe book, the recipes are very cheap to make now due to the eastern european stores here. I make goulash which its expensive here but in russia its dirt cheap. It just depends on where you are and what you eat.

(glad to know I'm not the only one )

I think the thing about the alcohol,is we could tut over bake off because its sugary, creamy and fattening ...usually empty calories. But we accept people probably don't eat exclusively patisserie. I think alcohol, has to be viewed in the same way. I cannot drink alcohol at all on my current medication ( in a cruel twist of fate I had just decided to enrole on a serious wine tasting course when my meds were changed ) and I can honestly say, while I was not a heavy drinker, sometimes I feel a glass of wine would be exactly what a kinder doctor would have ordered!

lostinrates

cbrown372 wrote: »

Absolutely great that this forum is here for tips and recipes but would I want to watch a vegetable cooking 15 different ways, I really don't think so and neither do I read blogs I have to say.
.

The programme on bbc2.... Is it great British food revival? That did look at different things to do with veg or ingredients .....three rather fifteen while not all were new I did find this a fantastic show and one of the few I have found truly inspirational of late. ( bake off has almost curtailed my baking tbh, its so not picky). I also also like Nigel slater as he is always encouraging viewers not to be rigid in interpretation. I don't use as many oriental fusion flavours as he does but I do love his food, and his diaries read quite like we eat.....gluts of fruit, irresistible purchases of a trays of a particular thing at a good price you then eat exclusively for a few days. And blanks where rather than fib and put in a recipe its just blank...he ate out, at friends or whatever wasn't worth writing down.

January20

richardw wrote: »

Apparently that was a 2kg piece, so that's £7 per kilo.

The recipe http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/mothership-sunday-roast-brisket says serves 6 and also says save half for leftovers, so is that 1kg piece for 6 people for £7 ie £1.17 per person?

You are right on this point, but I think that if you are having a crisis like say "a girl called Jack" or Memorygirl faced, it's unrealistic to say: go and buy a piece of meal for £14 because it will feed 6 people for so many meals because they might not have the cash to do it in the first place!

I agree with the posters who said this wasn't meant for the real food poor.

ditsykitchen wrote: »

Why is everyone criticising him for making money? Wouldn't you want to make that sort of money given the chance? Or does he have to stay poor to stay relevant? And as for charitable donations, he might donate 90% of his income to charity for all we know. Most people don't share these things publicly.

I don't criticise him for making lots of money. Good for him that he is worth so much. I dislike the fact he thinks he knows it all and can dictate to people how they should live, what their kids should have in their pack lunches, etc. I look at him and think he looks a little to well-fed to lecture on healthy eating, iyswim

I also believe he is just jumping on the bandwagon of food poverty to make more money. I don't think he really understand it or care about it. I too noticed the product placement and it wasn't a supermarket cheapest brand, was it? I find it all very crass.