To think jack Monroes recipe book is pretty shit

[Itsgonnabeacoldone]

Secret santa present and i was interested to have a quick look through, but after 10 mins I've decided it's a waste of space and will be going to the charity shop tomorrow.

She often speaks as if she's doing charity work and helping the poorest people with these. But really who would buy it if you were that poor.

She talks about it being inexpensive as you just need a small amount of this and that but you cant just buy half a teaspoon of a spice. It might be useful if you already have the spices and end up broke, but honestly if you already have a collection of spices you are going to know how to use them.

Lots of the ingredients she says you can't buy from the local corner shop and this is where many poor people have to shop.

Some of her sage advice is to just have one type of oil and vinegar. If you are poor that's exactly what you wouldn't do - your not going to be stocking up on half a dozen different types of vinegar if you are skint. If you are not skint then why on earth would you limit the number of oils or vinegars - they are all used for different things.

I can't see who this book would help, if you have access to cheap ingredients you can make cheap food. It just comes all of as very middle class faux help.

Her / their / they / they's ?? sons dad

Jack’s son’s dad, you mean?

I don’t believe in gender bullshit, but common courtesy is free and Jack Monroe has a name, which you can use without tying yourself in knots.

I found her book and blog genuinely useful when we were struggling. Some people have no idea how soul destroying a lack of money and the options money brings can be. Looking into your cupboard and seeing a random mix-mash of nothing that would normally constitute a meal and thinking how depressing it is to have tuna flakes mixed through plain spaghetti because that's all there is. Other recipe books using ingredients that we don't usually have in, using spices and herbs that we don't have. Her book showed me how to make something to be proud of out of that mix mash, and how we could eat well without having to spend loads. She understood the importance of costing the recipes, to show how it was actually something we could do. We're in a much better financial position now than we were 6 years ago, but I still get anxious and panic when someone I'm not expecting comes to our door.

I love her book
Excellent recipes. So glad I discovered them!
So I have to wholeheartedly disagree

I thought bad mouthing Jack Monroe on MN was illegal? 😂😂

Crying with laughter at someone on the receiving end of excoriating criticism? There we are then.

So OP, please tell us when your book with its much better set of recipes for the hard up will be available. Or where your website with same recipes freely available can be found.

Uh-oh, Jack’s just appeared

....tumbleweed!

You sound like a bawbag OP. And no, I'm not Jack. Veganism is very much not my thing.

"Uh-oh, Jack’s just appeared"

There are lots of posters supporting JM, which one is her? Or are we all JM sock puppets?

Yes good question, Cloud.

Obviously we shan't get an answer.

I find some of the recipes work, others don't. It's got a better hit rate than any of my other recipe books (except Good Housekeeping, but that requires hours and lots of washing up and many ingredients). I particularly like that she's got lots of vegan options as I cook non-dairy, so I just add meat back in if I wish.

I wonder why you're so bothered about it OP. Perhaps you feel you could do better? Or that you've been patronised? Or that Jack doesn't deserve the fame?

The way people are bothered by JM is similar to the way people can react to autistic people in real life when they do things in a way that doesn't meet their expectations, or that they can't quite understand. It's all very bullying.
I could understand criticism of the recipe book, if it's not your thing that's fine, just like criticism of Jamie Oliver's budget cook book received criticism as it showed a deep lack of understanding of poverty. Criticising the person is just plain nasty.

Did you know she used Mishcon de Reya solicitors to sue Katie Hopkins? Guess who else they used to represent? Only Princess Diana.

So what? I'm prepared to bet they did it on a no-win no-fee basis, lots of libel lawyers operate that way these days. I also suspect they took it on for the sheer pleasure of making KH squirm.

What a petty, spiteful thread. Merry Christmas!

And isn't it about time someone took Katie Hopkins on, too?

I liked her website when I was a student - easy, cheap recipes that didn’t need lots of ingredients and I could add to if I wanted. Not everyone would find it useful but that’s like everything.

YABVU. If you don't like the book, fine, but don't use that as an excuse to be snippy about her. Play the ball, not the man.

I like Jack Monroe

I think in the scheme of things there is def much more good than bad about Jack, they can be called or addressed however they like - same for all of us, they are a person and deserve common courtesy public domain or not.

There are lots of posters supporting JM, which one is her? Or are we all JM sock puppets?

I'm Jack Monroe and so's my wife.

Isa how dare you! I’m Jack Monroe.

The OP isn’t being personal about JM, she’s being snippy about her book. I think done people need to properly read what the OP is saying.

In the OP, maybe, southeast but then took a pretty personal turn:

seems like the self inflicted "poverty" is a million miles away from actual poverty that people have in this country and just her hook to become kinda famous.

Lots of things he/she claims don't add up.

Doesn't seem like the type to quiety help without letting the world know

Actually back to the point in the OP about "who would buy it if they were that poor?" - Jack has gone to a lot of effort to make sure her books are available in libraries, so people don't have to buy them if they can't afford them.