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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that Jamie Oliver lives in a parallel universe?

170 replies

iamthenewgirl · 21/12/2014 09:25

Have watched a few of his programmes over the last few days and I cannot help but think wtf?!

Every dish he makes seems to feed about 100 people. He's cooking a chicken kebab about the size of my leg at the moment. Shiny happy children gorging on massive pieces of chocolate cake. His perfect bloody house and his opinions on how we should all be shopping daily from the food market... Hmm

OP posts:
squoosh · 21/12/2014 16:30

I'm probably going against the grain here but I wasn't particularly shocked or outraged by his chilli punishment.

limitedperiodonly · 21/12/2014 16:30

such vitriol against him! baffles me as they are far far worst people out there TBH

Very true fromparistoberlin73

Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot were horrendous.

However, there is small circle of hell that I would reserve for people who are thoughtless cunts who whether deliberately or not make people's lives a misery.

I'd keep a tiny part of it for Ian Duncan Smith and Jamie Fucking Oliver and poke them in the eyes with hot torches.

BestIsWest · 21/12/2014 16:30

Watch him make spaghetti with clams using a kilo of clams for four people in one of his shows, then go and order it in one of his restaurants and get a total of nine clams in the dish.

I think he has a good heart though.

GotToBeInItToWinIt · 21/12/2014 16:32

championnibbler you sound delightful.

ninetynineonehundred · 21/12/2014 16:42

It would be great to see any of them do a show with
a clingy teething toddler sat on the kitchen surface throwing everything off,
A four year old alternatively singing let it go (not you mummy), asking what's for dinner (ooooooow I haaate that) and somehow being exactly where you want to be at any particular moment
No dishwasher
And tiny kitchen and
Various odds and ends in the fridge that really don't belong together (Sweetcorn and jam paella anyone)

Which is why I love these shows. It's a bit like buying a lottery ticket and thinking one day this could be you.

ninetynineonehundred · 21/12/2014 16:43

Oh yes and no clean cutlery, pans etc because you were too exhausted the night before to wash up

TooHasty · 21/12/2014 16:44

Oh come on it's TV!
Even Jamie doesn't really live in 'jamieland' nor Nigella in 'Nigellaland'.Well they do live in the houses but not in the dreamy yule Utopia.
For a start it's probably filmed in August and it will be dozens of re-takes and waiting around and lighting checks .

Bonsoir · 21/12/2014 16:48

TV chefs are entertainment, not a lesson in daily living practices.

AlpacaYourThings · 21/12/2014 17:20

Watching him cook makes me feel physically sick. He is always rubbing his hands into everything. I keep thinking about all the dead skin cells coming off his hands and into the food. [boak]

HelenaDove · 21/12/2014 17:40

Quote from Jamie Oliver from an interview in last months Red magazine.
"Public health and child health have never been worse. So as much as we have raised the bar in the 10 years since starting the School Dinners campaign theres still work to do.
Youve got me at such an early stage here because i wouldnt normally talk to anyone for another year about this. But for me i think the narrative is much more about personal responsibility. So as much as the government really needs to pull their finger out and do their fucking job and businesses need to create environments for their staff that are better and healthier it comes down to the fact that the home hasnt really changed nor the choices people make there. So i think thats roughly where im going. Xmas Confused

WTF is he on about. The home has changed a lot in the last thirty years.

LovleyRitaMeterMaid · 21/12/2014 18:08

The difference is though is that Jamie is trying to preach to us. He'sytelling us lack of money or time isn't ab excuse, if he can do a meal in 15 minutes there's no reason you can't.

He really seems to believe he's doingapsome sort of public service.

The others, like Nigel ect, are living in a fantasy land and inviting us to marvel at it. Jamie is saying 'you're a lazy useless shit if you don't do what I do'.

Viviennemary · 21/12/2014 18:10

Can't think why anybody pays any attention to him at all. He's no idea whatsoever about life in the real world. He's a celeb nothing to do with real life.

Marmiteandjamislush · 21/12/2014 18:22

YABU he's not nearly as bad as Kirstie Allsop and those Superscrimper people. We don't have a TV at home, but I am at Dsis' house this week as we are revolting this year and spend Christmas together rather than with our parents. Anyway, our DHs too the kids out whilst we were cleaning and cooking ect. and we had a a marathon she had recorded. Really, who has all sorts of lovely ribbon ect. just lying around as scraps?

Sparklingbrook · 21/12/2014 18:31

He's on C4 now, mucking about with a goose.

AliceinWinterWonderland · 21/12/2014 18:48

I have to ask though... if someone came on, say, the Relationships board and said that their partner was making their child eat very hot chillies as punishment for being rude and so on, would people be so "meh" about it? I suspect not. Especially not if the man was laughing about it.

So why is it okay if it's JO? Confused IMO it's not okay.

sleepdodger · 21/12/2014 18:50

My friend has had reason to work at their house recently; as a family they are apparently welcoming & friendlySmile

HelenaDove · 21/12/2014 18:54

I quite agree Alice. It seems to be different rules for celebs though.

PickleSarnie · 21/12/2014 19:33

I like him. Out of all the cool books I have, his are actually the only ones I use. Everything is predictably nice.

Who cares that he's richer than most people? Dont we all aspire to a lifestyle beyond our own?

And his money saving cookery was never intended for those on the breadline, just those that wanted to economise a bit.

Ujjayi · 21/12/2014 19:50

I saw Jamie & Jools in Selfridges last week (she was looking at dresses). He was very happy, healthy, smiling & not remotely porky looking.

I wanted to say hello - I cook a lot from his books - but DH gave me the death stare ConfusedGrin

Titsalinabumsquash · 21/12/2014 19:54

I thought his money saving cooking was good for people that were worried or unsure about cooking a larger, cheaper cut of meat and stretching it over the week instead of buying the more expensive, smaller cuts.

There are people out there who will only buy chicken breast for a curry rather than a whole chicken for a couple of meals for example.

Trills · 21/12/2014 19:56

The money saving stuff was aimed at a particular demographic.

It was rather mis-marketed as being "cheap" rather than "good value, make the most of what you spend".

LovleyRitaMeterMaid · 21/12/2014 20:03

Oh so not for proper poor people then, just those into fashionable frugality Hmm

PoppyAmex · 21/12/2014 20:07

"I have to ask though... if someone came on, say, the Relationships board and said that their partner was making their child eat very hot chillies as punishment for being rude and so on, would people be so "meh" about it? "

He rubbed a chilli on an apple, he didn't make her eat one. It's actually very different.

DF did that to me a couple of times as a joke; hardly traumatising.

Altinkum · 21/12/2014 20:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

gruffalosarse · 21/12/2014 20:30

I wish he would stand up whilst cooking. He always seems to be sitting outdoors with dirty cookware now. And litres of olive oil.

Other than that I have perfected my gravy because of his recipe.