Jamie Oliver webchat, Thursday 29 August, 2.45pm

[GeraldineMumsnet]

We're chuffed that Jamie Oliver is paying a return visit to Mumsnet this Thursday. His first MN webchat was back in 2010.

Jamie has a new book out, Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less (all subjects dear to MNers' hearts). It has 100 brand-new recipes designed to be accessible, reliable and, above all, affordable.

This is what Jamie says about his new book: "For years I have been telling people that if you look back through history, the best food in the world has always come from communities under massive financial pressure. But the proviso is that you MUST be able to cook! If you can't, and have no money, that is where the trouble starts. This is a cook book which, from start to finish has tasty recipes, all dedicated to great value, is a brilliant weapon to have on the shelf, and is relevant to every household. If you use this book the way it's intended, you should end up saving a wodge of cash from your wallet."

And to tie in with the book, he has a new six-part series on Channel 4 starting on Monday 2 Sept at 8pm.

Please post your question and join Jamie for a chat at 2.45pm on Thurs.

@SunshineBossaNova

Jamie What is your opinion on Workfare? And do your staff at Fifteen and other establishments receive a living wage and sick benefits?

No zero hour contracts at all. As far as i know, everyone that i employ and even the lowest paid employee walks away with more than minimum wage. They get all the benefits that you would expect and some companies have different things on private healthcare and life insurance, but probably most important in the restaurants, which is large majority of the people I employ - getting onto 3,500. As far as I'm aware in mid-market dining, our staff get 100% of their tips which I'm led to believe many others can't say and some are very naughty, we've never done that. You've got to remember I've grown up in a pub and earned min wage, so it does change your outlook somewhat.

I just want to say hello and thanks for turning my 14yr old son into a complete foodie. Has always loved his food, addicted to mouthwatering food shows, loves you because you're not stuffy or intimidating. When he leaves home ill buy him Ministry of Food.
TA Jamie

I'm quite happy for 'agirlnamedjack' to have the recognition she deserves for extreme budget recipes, which she has devised through necessity to feed her own family, than for sub 50p meals to be rebranded as part of the Oliver-empire. I don't necessarily need JO to be part of that debate.

still interested in zero-hours contracts though. and supermarket profits...

In your Radio Times interview you said anyone can do these recipes.
Yet upthread you say that anyone on a really tight budget can refer to Mumsnet threads etc.

Arent you contradicting yourself somewhat Jamie

I'm presuming the £1.38 per portion is pricing that for a family of four? Are there any recipes that were designed to be scaled up rather than down since not all households are a nice round number?

I'm disappointed. I really thought you were going to do something good here but you've aimed it at the people who have realised they've got to scale back from Taste the Difference to own brand, not even Basics...

Agree Vivacia

Jamie I have a proper question now. I've got rice, chicken, one red pepper, red onion, garlic, chilli, tinned tomatoes, and a few herbs and spices. What can I have for tea?

Did Jules laugh when you told her you were coming on here?
Or give you a [hard hat]
Or a [flame proof suit]

The free cookbook given away at food banks idea is something "agirlnamedjack" would ace through.

I was just thinking distributing at food banks foc would be good. Does anyone help the people getting food from Food banks turn it into interesting meals?

thank you for zero-hours info. that's good. although 'more than the minimum' isn't necessarily gold-plating... (but thank you - I would hope you want to employ the best staff and that you therefore pay them accordingly)

I have an emergency cooking question - I am a complete cooking numpty - I have boiled my roast chicken carcass with veg and stuff in an attempt to make stock. It is done. smells ok. But very greasy. lots of fat in it. is it supposed to be like that?

£1.38 per person for the main meal of the day is a budget. Or do people not deserve to have a book aimed at them unless they are living in a B&B with three children and no utensils? Because of course, unless you are in those circumstances, you can't possibly have any need to try and reduce your food shopping bill, oh no.

I might buy the book anyway cause I like your recipes, but that works out at £38 for a family of four for the week - presumably that's just one meal.

I agree that it's targetted wrong. It's a book for the squeezed middle.

sharing a kitty

How many will that feed then, roasted or poached. Do the whiskers make good stock.

Tbf, my mother and I split BOGOF deals, and over winter another family and I split a sack of spuds, but not everyone has that option.

seriously though jamie - do you feel at all guilty for slagging off some girl and exposing her to public scorn and ridicule for the way she fed her child? do you feel any remorse at using her tragedy for your own inflation?

you get she's real right? and reading that somewhere?

Chill it in the fridge, and the fat will solidify on top and you can skim it off, ubik.

No, I don't have elderflower cordial either! We'll see what it's like without.

But, again food banks only provide the basics. If these recipies call for a well stocked store cupboard, it is pretty pointless.

A book aimed at people who literally cannot afford to stock up would be great...but not very profitable I would imagine.
And these books are generally all about the profit. Not helping people who need it.

glad that it's at least minimum wage. Not horribly pleased with the sweeping derogatory comments about today's British youth though. Some are not good workers, some are. Just like any age group, really. Nothing like tarring everyone with the same brush.

You are aware that in a course of a few days, you've been rather derogatory about huge swaths of people, right? People that are, say, potential book buyers?

But Jack Munroe really does know how to cook on a tight budget.

ubik, that happened to me, I let it go cold and skimmed the fat off the top. Have no idea if that was right, but if you add lentils you can really bulk it up for pence

maybe kitty paws are a bit like chicken wings honey?

You've got to remember I've grown up in a pub and earned min wage, so it does change your outlook somewhat.

I found that quite humbling information Jamie I genuinely didn't realise that you'd lived on the minimum wage. I'm guessing that's before you have children? Either way, it goes to show that you do know what it's like keeping a roof over your head on minimum wage.

@LtEveDallas

(I think this webchat is a really bad idea. His comments today have put a lot of people's backs up, and I can see the whole thing degenerating into a bunfight that will show MN in a bad light. I really do think it should be reconsidered/rescheduled - just like the Ceaser Milan one was)

That said:

Jamie,

My neice is a single parent to a teenager. She also has recently been diagnosed with reactive arthritis and cannot work, she can barely walk and there are days she physically cannot get out of bed. She has not yet been assessed by ATOS so gets no 'extra' provisions.

She has a total of £54.00 per week to feed, clothe and look after her and her child. She is also about to lose 14.00 per week of that in the 'bedroom tax' unless she can find someone willing to house swap with her.

She is limited to a local Co-Op small supermarket to buy her provisions from. The nearest Tesco would cost her £4.00 on the bus to town and from there another £2.00 on the bus to the supermarket. She is limited to how much she can carry (I've just bought her a shopping trolley). If she can get on the 'net she tends to do an Iceland shop as it is the only place that will deliver, free, to where she lives. Otherwise she shops on the day, every day.

Will she be able to make any use of your new book - if I bought it for her? Will she be able to afford to make any of the recipes? Will she be able to make them without a HUGE outlay on the storecupboard essentials - many of which she will not have? And will she be able to buy and transport them back home (to give you an idea of how she suffers, until I bought her the shopping trolley her 'sunday lunch' shop took her 3 journeys - 1 for the cheap and nasty pumped full of water value chicken, 1 for the veg and 1 for the potatoes, because she couldn't carry it all at once)

I think you have lost touch with the 'common man', how very little some people have to live on, how hard it is to live in semi-rural communities and where not everyone is able to 'source' fresh veg, a handful of XXX and some 'lovely Feta'. Sweeping statements like this mornings will do nothing but hurt people.

I'd like you to prove me wrong - Could my neice make 7 main meals out of your book, for 2 people, for less than £54? What about £40? (We can assume my neice will only eat one meal a day, and my great neice will have her Free School Meals 5 day out of 7)

Firstly, I'm sorry to hear your niece has got quite a few odds against her, wishing her good luck with it all. I can see getting the food and cooking it is going to have a few challenges.

The average cost of a meal in the book is £1.32 (meals and lunches, not breakfast) and she could make some improvements on that in the proteins she buys etc.

I've given every library in the country a copy, but I will send your niece a copy as well. I hope what I've done will give your niece a good basis. But it sounds to me like she is resourceful and could chop and change the recipes a bit to make them even cheaper but still deliver some great flavours.

Who is Jules favourite mnetter?