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.

Sorry HQ.

Well I must say my heart aches for the poor, put upon multi millionaire Jamie Oliver. Having to read some challenging comments on MN must have been just gut wrenching for the poor fellow.

I expect he's sobbing all the way to the bank right now. Never mind, he can comfort himself by cuddling a poor, stupid person and telling them how to cook properly on a budget.

I actually think he did pretty well. I didn't expect him to answer my question, nor the ones about his staff. I am pleased at his costings for his meals, although I think his marketing is flawed - £1,38 is still out of the budget for a lot of people, the very people that his marketing seems to be aimed at. If he had marketed the book at the 'squeezed middle' it would make more sense. His PR is at fault there.

I hope he regrets his comments and I hope that reading MN, both this webchat and the other threads, gives him a better insight to what people really are going through. I also hope that he has read all this thread and can see the many issues that affect people and the way he is viewed.

My faith is somewhat restored. Not just because of the free book , but the fact that he had the balls to continue, apologised (kinda), made a few good points about food and he pays his staff more than NMW and doesn't put them on 0 hrs contracts.

Do wish he'd answered a few more questions though.

Nice try Broken.

The fact is hes commented in the press that anyone could eat like this and castigated poor people for what he perceives to be their "choices"
Even the publicity synopsis for the book says its aimed at the fact that anyone can do it.

All the distraction techniques employed by people who are blinded by his celebrity arent going to change that fact.!

Fish you ate going to have to namechange he said he'd be checking! Have you ever discussed friday night threads with j?

It is unclear if the £1.38 includes the fuel to cook the meal but let's just stick to cost for the moment. All 3 meals in a day (toast / cereal for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch) may run to another £ per person? So 2.38 x 4mouths = £9.32 per day.

X 7 days = £66.64 per week
That leaves £3.36 for pud once a week @ 82p per head.

So you need £70 per week to feed a family of 4. Not the kind of people he is castigating for having a big telly and a bad diet I believe.

Backlash from Anthony Worrall Thompson and diners after British worker comments.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/jamie-olivers-immigration-comments-spark-2234294

I'm not sure it's other people who are confused about the argument brokensunglasses.

One poster, sorry, but I've forgotten her name, hit the nail on the head when she said it would be more honest if Jamie Oliver said this was a book for people who wanted to cut back from Taste The Difference to Sainsbury's own brand.

That is exactly who this book is aimed at. And that's fine. Just as it's fine for someone to buy an Audi instead of a Porsche if they're feeling the pinch.

But if he'd said that, rather than making predictably headline-grabbing cracks about cheesy chip-munching telly-watchers, he'd get hardly any publicity and wouldn't flog nearly so many books.

He might even get ridiculed. Which would never do.

Nope, no rosemary, sage or thyme in our park

I was baffled by that comment too vivalebeaver. And my nearest park is basically the Queen's front garden.

We don't have dog-shit and nettles. A crow pecked my foot yesterday though. I think he mistook the hard skin for a bit of parmesan rind.

I agree, LtEve. I thought his post to you and your niece was heartfelt and thoughtful.

We could debate all week and never come to an agreement on whether he is a misunderstood person with good intentions, or a cynical bastard looking to make a fast buck out of the misery of others.

I am a very optimistic see-the-good-in-everyone Pollyanna type, so am going to leave it here. Do pop over to the German recipe thread if you want my MIL's amazing kartoffelsalat recipe.

I've only just seen the herbs from the park bit

What planet does he live on?

I could score some herbs in our park, definitely.

Unfortunately, the cynical me thinks any publicity is good publicity. At the end of the day his book launch probably would have passed me and thousands others by, but by his unfortunate comments we now all know about it. He may or may not have meant it, who knows, but its bought him lots of publicity, and probably a shed load of people who will now buy his book on the back of this week, shame our world works like that.

I'll never understand why this chap is disliked by so many

Let me explain. He trots out that offensive 'get on your bike', 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps', 'world doesn't owe you a living' triteness that I'd be weary of even if I didn't come from God's Own County of Essex too and hadn't heard this a million times from people who have been able to make the most of the opportunities of living on the City's doorstep and don't realise there is such a thing as luck and lavish spending in the South East, as well as hard work.

I say this as someone from a council estate who's doing really quite well but has a bit of imagination and humility.

Well we've tried out our recipe - the blackberries were really nice! But the pastry didn't cook at the bottom... are you meant to flip them?

p.s. I dont think it would have been hard reading for him, this thread. I think he revels in the publicity.

There used to be herbs in our park... a kids 'senses' garden. Lasted one night before some fool ripped it up!

And not so much sheer bare-faced cheek.

Ooh Mme, my sis makes a good one of them (German ILs), now if you'd said Bratkartofflen (sp?)....

(Apropos of nothing, we are having Bratwurst for tea tonight....mmm curry ketchup)

There used to be herbs in our park... a kids 'senses' garden. Lasted one night before some fool ripped it up!

We had a smelling garden for the blind behind the library TeWi. This was Essex in the late '70s. Groundbreaking stuff.

People complained to the local paper that it looked a bit drab

The garden's long gone. The library's probably not long for this world either.

Mme Lindor - we are also feeling the effect of rising food prices. We also shopped essentials in Waitrose (still do if I can reduced chicken/meat) but now do a weekly shop in Lidl.

We are by no means on the breadline but when i roasted my £5 chicken from Lidl yesterday, there wasn't enough for 5 people - so I ate some veg an couple of potatoes and had a slice of bread and jam to fill me up. DP had a small portion and a jam sandwich afterwards too.

We are having to learn to be far more economical - and quickly - hence my hamfisted making of chicken stock earlier.

We are also seeing our local grocers increasingly threatened by the supermarket cornerships: Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Metro. Those fantastic Indian/Pakistani shopkeepers mentioned by Jamie(who will sell you an entire tray of canned chickpeas for £2) are buckling under the competition. And this makes it more and more difficult to shop cheaply as the supermarket corner shops are soo expensive.

excusing comments made about the lifestyle of poor people by throwing in that you are actually quite benevolent and philanthropic is a bit like saying im not racist but....

anyway - despite you being a total badgerfucker on the poor issue Jamie, I think you did ok on here considering.

I just would like you to recognise the root of social problems if you are commenting on them

if people are eating frozen meals ask why?
If we can't cook as a nation ask why?
if parents make poor choices ask why?

then think of a solution

I'm pretty well educated, but apart from mint, i couldn't pick herbs growing willy nilly around the park - besides - wouldn't dogs piss on them etc?

Plenty of grass to be had in my park too ,expat