Just out of curiosity...why do people dislike Jamie Oliver so much?

[luckywinner]

I am just watching an episode of Ministry of Food programme and it made me think about how everyone has such a strong opinion of him. But all he seems to be doing is trying to help people out. Am geniunely curious, he neither offends me or endears himself to me.

I like him at least he has shook up this apathetic country a bit.

jamie is a star methinks

i didnt like him at first all bish bash bosh n pukka this n that foot slammin fridge door

but has really grown on me and dh
his recipes are tasty
and i guess he is a bit preachy but jeezo it's kinda needed innit people??
utter shoite is consumed at a great rate in this country and the 'cant cook wont cook, i'll eat out of a box' attitude has gotta at least be challenged, unless you want loads of young obese types being chair lifted from their settee to clog up what's left of the ol nhs

i htink he is an essex lad, muckers

Although apparently, all that has happened is fewer kids having school meals (at least my friend who is a head in Hampshire says..) and so more dinner ladies out of work...Kids just go into town for their chips now....

I think the dinners book is just called Jamie's Dinners.

school meals are expensive. £10 a week! I sed in dd's soup and they heat it up for me.

Blimey- when I were a lass they were 50p a week! (am very old)

Dd's nursery (in Italy) we get pasta for free but have to send in a main course (meat or fish) to be heated up....not daft these people....

I like Jamie. His recipes are good and he is passionate about good food. And he really did make a difference with school dinners, so that's got to be good. His views about food are sometimes seen as being up his own arse in this country, but if you go to places like France, Italy or Spain, that viewpoint on food is taken for granted. They would not put up with poor quality food in their motorway service stations, schools, nurseries or hospitals.

I decided not to pay £40 a month when she only eats about 2 teaspoons at each meal!

It's not, actually.
It's all a bit emperor's new clothes really.
(obviously I speak about the south of Italy)

Everybody eats cakes for breakfast, (kids in schools arrive on a sugar high which by 10am has gone and they're flat out on their desks) loads of pre-packaged food now becoming very very popular....adverts all over the telly saying "natural- only contains sugar, flour and butter" etc. All the kids at dd's nursery take huge bags of crisps (the family size ones) or these hideous bun things and usually when "fish" is the second course we have to send in, they send fishfingers (ditto when it's meat, they send in a burger, or more often a spammy type thing)

Hospital food is the same as the UK- families take the food in to their relatives.....schools generally don't do food as they all close before lunch- but at break, as I said, the kids are all shovelling shite down their necks, coke machines in every hallway....

The fresh ingredients are no better or cheaper than the UK- in fact, frequently less good quality. Whatever you buy from the greengrocer you chuck half away. You wouldn't get away wit that in the UK- you'd take it back. Here they'd say- well what do you expect? It's a fruit shop- some of it is bound to be a bit off.

Organic food is virtually unheard of. And the nearest I can get to a free range egg is something which has been "reared on soil" (ie they chuck a bit in the cages)

I think the point that young Jamie would have us forget- is that if people can cook they will cook and it will be good. The ingredients you can get in the Uk are second to none.....it's up to the individual if they choose to buy fruit and veg or turkey twizzlers. It's not like people are forced into buying them.....

Sorry- went into one there.....just get fed up of everyoe thinking the Med is a food utopia when my bit of it is actually a bit rubbish!

always imagined Italy was full of fresh fod and good cooking!

I agree Bucharest that British food is actually pretty good quality, i.e. at least we have the option of good ingredients and most of our pre-packaged stuff is available in versions without lots of additives even though there is still crap around.

I remember a thread on here ages ago where someone (in NZ or Oz I think) asked why on earth anyone would give their kids commercial (Knorr?) Ragu sauce when it was full of additives, colours, starch but when I checked on the jar in the supermarket here in England, it was onions, tomatoes, herbs, modified starch and that was pretty much it.

Like Jamie's recipes, but... as said earlier, that messy mouth, thick tongue, lisp, Euuurrrggh. And he was a sanctimonious prat on Tonight with J Ross. He's a chef not Bono a politician.

poor man can help a lisp ffs.

can't

Did you check out recipes I mentioned, Riven?

I always thought Italy was this magical place where all the food was lovely and fresh and seasonal and rustic!

I lived in Spain and while I was at university there, you could get a fab 3 course meal at the uni canteen, fresh, seasonal,local,with a beer,wine or water with it,completely yummy, for 2 quid. (This was 10 years ago,in the days of the very strong pound against the peseta!). Later on, I worked in a primary school in Spain, and I always had lunch there. It was freshly prepared on the premises by a lovely bloke called Rafa, and it was lovely yummy food. Again this was a while back now.

reading some of his recipes and wondering what to do for lunch. Got mum and Aunt coming over.

I have always really loved Jamie.

I really believe he wants to make a difference.

Agree about the 4x4 though. No need for anyone like Jamie to need a car like that.

I dont really care about his car. I think 15 is a fantastic concept and his work has always benefited others as well as himself. Even on school dinners he was really honest and said his kids would go to private schools.

It is his zeal which is annoying I think and yes his swearing has got a little over the top lately but I think if he didnt behave the way he did it wouldnt make good tv.

I like him but dont love him like Nigel. I used to love Nigella as well but she has got too annoying for words recently.

I quite like him. I saw him at our local shopping centre the other day, doing some sort of filming about bacon (?) and felt strangely star-struck.

His food is complicated and expensive to make and only involves ingredients from Waitrose. Nigella, she is the true goddess of simple cookery, only a few ingredients and she always gives an alternative if you can't get hold of tuscan, organic rosemary for example, not that she ever uses such poncey items.

Jamies? Seems pretty cheap to me and its Sainsbo's he does.

I always thnik Nigella (and her ingredients) much more poncy than Jamie Ol!

Nigella's recipes calls for food the average bod doesn't have and cant afford.

God i can't read this thread, i can have anyone bad mouthing Jamie.

I love him, he's fab, not fake a real nice geezer. So there [Charlee sticks tounge out and runs away fast]

Also just to add, i have all his books and reguarly make food from them they are nither expensive or complicated. Fantastic Fish Pie is the best recipe.

His new book the ingredients are cheap and few and hte meals are really easy to make and still delicious.

God i must leave this thread before i go off on one.