What planet is Jamie Oliver on? £1

[BananaCocktails]

I just want to say I absolutely love Jamie, Oliver, and his cooking . watching
£1 wonders right now
he is using up some very expensive ingredients, 3/4 of a bar of butter isn’t budget friendly at all, if I had butter, I certainly wouldn’t be using almost all of it in one recipe it’s so expensive nowadays
he is also using olive oil, another very expensive ingredient
I feel like I’m moaning, but I went to Sainsbury’s today and spent almost £20 and bloody packed lunch alone for the kids. I absolutely hate margarine so bit the bullet and bought butter which was £2.60!

It is at times like these that I always recommend Thrifty Lesley.

Her website has a variety of low cost meals, but she also has about 15 week long meal plans, for 2, for very little. The cost has gone up recently, but she doesn't assume you have anything at all, other than salt and pepper (if you like to add it).

I will pop the links to her meals plans in the next post, she also has individual recipes that you can search through.

thriftylesley.com/thrifty-lesley-meal-plans/#google_vignette

Her plans used to be £15 a week, for 2 adults.
She's recently re-costed them, and they come out at about £18-20 needed at the checkout per week, with some leftovers.

She makes suggestions too, if there are ingredients you can't get.

I might be watching these out of sequence but I saw him do the pizza in a pan and it serves 2 people, not 8

Because liver is disgusting. Doesnt matter how you cook it, it still tastes of metal and has a repulsive texture.

I just chucked all my JO cookbooks into the charity shop - his recipes are so expensive as there are too many ingredients. The average (based on a quick flick through) was 13 ingredients, the worst offender had 23 ingredients!

And he always assumes everyone has a sunny windowsill where they can grow herbs. Sorry Jamie, not when you're in the shadow of the tower block next door.

Our oven seal is fine and I agree with that post. Oven chips (either frozen or home made) take longer than 17 minutes. The only way they don't is if you like a floppy, pale travesty of a chip. I cook mine for at least 25 minutes.

Even Waitrose has own brand butter for £2

God yes, oven chips never cook as per instructions

Jamie Oliver has always been economical with certain facts to suit whatever agenda he's on this week. I tell this tale regularly. If anyone can remember his school dinners thing- he visited what he said was a state primary school in Italy where "by law" all the food cooked for lunchtimes was organic. Cue the usual "why can't we be like Italy blabla"

I know that school. It's a private nursery and there is no such law.

I wrote to him and asked had there been some confusion in translation? Never got a reply. Obviously.

Or Aldi - £1.99

I watched it last night, both the pie and risotto portions looked fine.

He tries and he is entertaining, plus the meals look great. I like to look and take some of the ideas for my cooking.
The more ingredients, the healthier. That is some of the conclusions on nutrition studies comparing western cooking and asian for school meals. Small portions of varied dishes worked better.
It is not feasible for most of us, between work and finances, but getting the closest we can with the time and money we have is my target. I like how he always makes salad and other vegetables sides to his dishes.
Building up a spices cupboard and pantry is expensive, but so worthy! You can make really tasty meals with a lot of flavour and nutrition.
£1 per portion though is too difficult to achieve. Maybe if you only count the ingredients that are not pantry ones, and you do not add the energy costs for the cooking.

@adriftabroad seriously. People like to complain and moan, especially about Jamie Oliver. Some people take any opportunity they can to pick at him. They’d rather do that than apply common sense and adapt the recipes for themselves.

I like to watch him for ideas but when I've used one of his recipes in the past it's turned out terrible. His food is always too watery and lacks flavour.

It was the same with his restaurants. Water, no flavour and shit portions.

You should write a cook book! Or we should start a frugal food thread!
my Nan in the war did amazing stuff with a bit of cold mince and old tat ties and made bubble and squeak etc.
my mums childhood fave tea was fried potatoes and peas which was normal. ( and her fave) None of this 30 herbs stuff!
here’s mine - from Italy..

fry garlic add chickpeas lemon rind pour over pasta, squirt of lemon juice.
surprisingly yummy!

fry breadcrumbs and garlic, pour over pasta with Parmesan.

and cheapest of the lot, but lovely, fry a chopped chili, garlic in olive oil or butter or both pour over pasta

I think people do like to complain. Ive always liked him, people complained about him when he was young, the accent, the hair, the blarney, the campaigns etc

They dont sit there and slag off all the other chefs though who use cheffy expensive ingredients and dont actually campaign for stuff. No one gets it right all the time, he doesnt have to be perfect, he's not a politician

I liked the recipes and people talking about how they can make cheaper dishes like spag bol or chillies or curries are missing the point, those sorts of foods are always given as cheap options, my freezer is full of my batch cooked chillies, curries etc, but they are boring after a while so whats wrong with seeing what else might be frugal enough but not so predictable that you feel like you're living inn 1980s Russia or something.

Perhaps one day I will moomoola. I'd no idea how much response my post would get.

Your potato layer sounds lovely too. We got simply slices of potato, onion and possibly cheese layered and gently cooked on a stove with the lid on. I like that you can add bacon, peppers or whatever you have.

also stew made from all the old veg, a tiny bit of lamb for flavour, chickpeas and garlic.

Chuck a tin of toms and stock in with your rice, maybe a chopped orange then stir in peas, chicken, more chickpeas or whatever you have. Instant paella!

Ooh you totally should!

@bellac11 I think it may be a form of inverted snobbery. A kind of “who do you think you are?” sneering attitude. People do this to Yotam Ottolenghi as well. Similar accusations of using too many ingredients, too many obscure ingredients (which aren’t), too much time, etc. Well, he’s never going to do beans on toast. Get over it.

Yes I agree

@RosesAndHellebores I would definitely read if you started a thread, I've made a note of the suggestions in your posts.😊

Great website
She had thought of everything !
Thanks for sharing

Agree!

I think there is a knack with oven chips-getting a decent result is tricky. I cook them at a lower temperature for about 15 mins or so, then whack it up.

On the whole, easier to roast some vegetables and healthier.

Jamie does sometimes put too much liquid in things, but once you know that you can adjust.

@JingsMahBucket

I agree. There's not a single store cupboard ingredient he has suggested that I don't have, they are obscure, I bought shallots in lidl just last week too (to the person questioning who uses shallots). He also stresses that people can substitute, they are ideas not overly prescriptive (eg use cheddar not Parmesan which caused outrage in my Italian friends house!)