Live Webchat with Jamie Oliver this Friday 15th October between 9 and 10 am.

[RachelMumsnet]

We're delighted to announce that Jamie Oliver will be joining us on Mumsnet on Friday 15th October for an early brunch between 9 and 10 am. Jamie's groundbreaking new book Jamie's 30 Minute Meals is now on sale and his TV series of the same name begins tonight on Channel 4 at 5.30pm and runs daily on week days for four weeks. Jamie needs no further introduction to Mumsnetters; you've discussed everything from his School Meals Campaign to his baby name choices. Now's your chance to put your questions to the man himself. If you can't join us next Friday, post your questions to Jamie in advance on this thread.

Hi Jamie what is your favourite dish to cook for your kiddie-winks??? Love all your shows btw!

It's really normal that kids cling on to stuff they know... my kids are also obsessed with pasta. They'll pretty much eat anything that has pasta, so use this to your advantage. Pasta comes in so many different shapes and sizes, that you can get them onto rice and couscous and other things. Concentrate on what they do like, rather than what they don't. Although it's really easy to get into a routine every week, try to mix it up, as then it's easier to get them to try new things.

We're all around the able at my office.

Jamie how much importance do you place on eating organic produce?

Hi Jamie,
I was just wondering if your children invite friends to play what do you cook for them?

morning jamie, my dh loves your food he keeps buying me your cook books in the hope that i will actually follow a recipie and come out with what i ment to cook

would you ever consider doing a childrens programme such as the bbc 'i can cook' for little children? but doing proper healthy full meals? i think it would get lots more kids into healthy eating

To all those who asked if Jules is a secret mumsnetter:

To everyone who asked this, I think she goes on there from time to time but she's a bit full on at the moment with 4 kids!

Hi Jamie, I run a pre-school cooking club and have several ladies doing it round teh UK - I have loads of ideas for kiddie related food products. Would you ever consider workin with a business like mine?

[quote ChristmasTrulyReigns]

Hi Jamie.

Thank you very mush for taking time out of your busy life to talk to us vipers here at MN.

My DCs love watching your programmes and are completely inspired by your enthusiasm and approach to cooking. (3DDs followed by a smashing DS, just like you, BTW)

I'll second (or whatever number I am) the request for a decent children's program from you.

My question is really related to how much your care for children's diet and attitude to food: What meal immediately transports you back to childhood? And I'm sure that many on MN are pretty sure that it will be one of your recipes that our adult DCs will reminisce fondly about. (MOF fish pie for mine )

Aaah feckit, I'm going to go for 2 questions:
I feel the 5.30 scheduling for 30 minute meals is slightly strange. What was the rationale behind that?

I sold that three years ago... I miss it. But I'd had the bus for 11 years, and I believe those kind of things need to be owned and looked after by people who are really going to use it. It was sitting in the garage, and that felt wrong.

If you email Tefal direct, they might have some survival cookware kit left. It's a long shot but it might work :-)

@PaisleyPumpkin

Hello Jamie, thankyou for all you've been doing for children and families. It's important and you've really made a difference - many of us are trying to feed a family for a fiver and in half an hour.
I just want to ask - have you not still got your bus?
We had to let ours go (rust in peace), a bit sad at the time but best all round.
.....and on the subject of camping - can we not get a hold of your Survival Cookware kit anymore?

Which of your recipes do you make most often for your family?

Why does Jamie get orange highlights. I want them toooooo.

Congats on the birth of Buddy!

@sethstarkaddersmummyreturns

welcome to MN Jamie, and congratulations on your new baby.

100s of people here seem to agree with my question about please can you do a tv programme/book for kids, to teach them to cook.

Please do it, you would be fab!

I've been working on a bunch of stuff for a few years now and I really want to do something for kids and hopefully in the next couple of years we'll do something really lovely and spectacular and empowering so kids can roll up their sleeves and get involved. I feel I can do it I started cooking a lot when I was about 8, using knives and opening oven doors and all that and it's all about getting the balance between good parenting but letting them really have a go at the same time and allowing them to make decisions every week about what they eat, decisions between a good choice and a good choice, not a good choice and a bad choice.

I cook loads of different things at my house, so kids don't get different food from what we cook for our own family. So when their friends come over, they eat whatever our family would've been eating anyway.

To be honest, I'm a morning dad and a weekend dad. Although Jools isn't a particularly good cook in a professional sense, she's a wonderful childrens cook. When they kids need to cook, she's on it. She keeps things really simple, she doesn't embellish things too much. From one pan, she can create 3 or 4 different elements of a meal.

@pinkclouds

Hi Jamie,
I was just wondering if your children invite friends to play what do you cook for them?

thank you Jamie, I'm so glad you're planning something for kids, I will look forward to it

Hi Jamie,

I live near you in East Anglia. Is there anything you can do to improve the standards of food and service in cafes, pubs and restaurants around Cambridge, as all too often we find when we go out with the kids that we are sat at a dirty table, shell out a lot of dosh only to be fed boil in the bag rubbish or burnt pizza (you know the chains I mean), ignored for long periods by the taciturn waiting staff, and generally vaguely ripped off. For many families this usually coincides with a birthday or anniversary celebration, and invariably we all end up stressed and arguing as a result, which can't be a good thing.

Thanks,
Boff

Hi Jamie, where do you stand on school packed lunces, schools taking a small biscuit out of an otherwise healthy lunchbox. Is a little treat not part of a balanced diet?

Morning Jamie,

My son has just started school and unfortunately they have removed the school dinner facilities - mt mother in law was a head dinner lady and has told me the reason behind it was with the new guidlines a few local schools were losing money and decided to close the kitchens.
Does this make you cross as it does appear to miss the point in a kind of we cant be healthy so wont bother way - I would love him to have school dinners as we have always been a main meal at lunchtime family and I remember loving school dinners as a child.

By the way we love you and think its a shame you sometimes get some horrible press - Baby holding thing - utterly daft!!!

Secret extra question - don't look, MN people - I am a University Lecturer in Education and author myself, and for a few years I have been trying to put together a book on cooking for children with specialised diets (ie diabetes, coeliac disease, kidney failure) after discovering that the leaflets the children get after getting diagnosed are aimed at pensioners and hinge around tasteless tinned food, which is pretty gross. So would you ever fancy a collaborative project bringing out a more exciting leaflet to inspire children with these conditions to engage with cooking more tasty foods?

@Nuttybear

Hi Jamie,

Love your programme, would love a cookery programme for kids but, if you do, please don't do pages puddings& sweet stuff like the others do. Or pizza very boring.

Now my Q1 How do you stop yourself picking throughout the day and overeating your own lovely food? I suffer from this habit
Q2 Your book meals in 30 mins. Does that include the washing up and cleaning?
I find most men forget that bit!

I'll be back tomorrow for the answers pls highlight my name as I'm also a Flylady

I don't so much pick but you have to taste the food if you're a chef, but not necessarily lots of it. At work I don't put spoon in, at home I just put my finger in

On washing up I genuinely do try and multi use pans and even serve stuff in the trays and pans I cook them in but ultimately if you cook fresh there will be washing up. The best thing I can recommend even if you're on a budget is get a second hand dishwasher, it sterilises everything and gets it out the way and also when I do 30 min meals I work into the dishwasher, so genuinely I can have it semi done in 30 mins, because I've packed away as I've worked. But don't be misled into thinking 30 min meals is a bunch of recipes it's a whole new approach, and if you don't read the intro you won't achieve what Is et out to achieve. And for me and all of my testing team, creating 30 min meals and testing it has changed all of our lives and we never thought it would. Just looking at how we run the kitchen, approach the kitchen and start and finish a meal. And also it's the only book that I know of that if you're a good cook and you do what you're told it works and if you're a bad cook and do as you're told it works. But if you're a good cook and don't follow the rules I can't promise you anything. It's the Gina Ford of cooking

really shouldnt type and run after a toddler - typos!!

Are you doing any Christmas specials this year? Lived last year's - hope they will be repeated!

Morning Jamie. Very excited about your new London restaurant opening near where I work in the City. Is it true it's a barbecue place?