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MNHQ

Jamie Oliver webchat, Thursday 29 August, 2.45pm

999 replies

GeraldineMumsnet · 27/08/2013 11:12

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.

OP posts:
BIWI · 27/08/2013 19:48

Actually, Te, I was making the opposite point - although obviously not very well! Grin

We spend a lot on food, because we can't cook so we have to pay for processed/manufactured food. If you can cook, things are a lot cheaper.

DoItTooJulia · 27/08/2013 19:55

Ok, ignoring all the hype and hot water, I'll plough on with my questions!

  1. What's your favourite cook book?
  1. We're veggie and would love to see a veggie JO book....any chance?
TeWiSavesTheDay · 27/08/2013 20:06

Oh sorry, I misunderstood! Lots of threads about this to muddle Smile

Whether ready-made or from scratch cooking is cheaper tends to be based on what's accessible to you and at what cost. I am assuming Jamie will be addressing this, because I remember it coming up in one of his other shows. Estates with only corner shops with no fresh food and takeaways and £££ to get bus to out of town supermarket.

BIWI · 27/08/2013 20:07

There's always online shopping ...

expatinscotland · 27/08/2013 20:11

There is? Always? Funny that. We are semi-rural. There is no online food shopping.

TeWiSavesTheDay · 27/08/2013 20:12

Iceland is the only free place to shop online as far as I know! And you only have to send £25 for delivery.

ChampagneTastes · 27/08/2013 20:12

Jamie - I love many of your recipes and am a great admirer of your work to improve school meals. I am a keen home cook and every meal is made from scratch HOWEVER it is only because I have a well stocked store cupboard that this is possible. I could not do it when I was a student for example. You say your recipes are cheap - are they cheap in real terms (as in, if you ask for cumin, you consider the cost of buying a whole jar of ground cumin) or are they cheap assuming you can buy in bulk?

(PS: my DH would like to thank you for the apple and blackberry pie in Jamie at Home - he is a very happy man right now).

BIWI · 27/08/2013 20:12

Well obviously there are individual circumstances, expat, but it's increasingly easy to do online shopping, is it not?

Greythorne · 27/08/2013 20:15

I would like to ask Jamie why he insists on using the word 'pimp' left, right and centre.

He described the hideous powder blue suit he wore to get married in as 'something a pimp might wear'.

The menu at his restaurant (Union Jacks) features menu items that have been pimped.

He features pimped up prosecco on his website.

Jamie- As a sentient human being, not to mention father of little girls, can you tell me why you choose this term, normalising it, and diminishing the systematic brutalisation and exploitation of women and girls by pimps?

expatinscotland · 27/08/2013 20:16

I wouldn't know, BIWI, because we have never had it out here. There is a HUGE part of this country not served in such a way. Hardly an individual circumstance.

goforthejobular · 27/08/2013 20:22

Jamie -

How much do you spend each week on feeding your family?

What percentage of your weekly income is that?

Do you kids take a packed lunch to their expensive private schools or do they buy a hot meal there?

If UKIP were to win the next general election and pull us out of the EU, what impact do you think that would have on food imports and exports and the cost for the average family?

sadeyedladyofthelowlandsea · 27/08/2013 20:23

I can see this turning into a bunfight...

Jamie, there were times when I was waiting for my ESA appeal to be resolved that I was feeding my kids soup mix and stock. But we had a big telly because we bought it six years ago when we were both working. We're in a much better financial position now. So, can we get a bigger telly?

wordfactory · 27/08/2013 20:23

My question: Why do you stick your head above the parapet like this?

You could just as easily do a project on Jamie's Lunch Boxes, Jamie in China, Jamie's Baking classics.

I know you've said your wife wishes you would stick to those less controversial projects. Why don't you?

goforthejobular · 27/08/2013 20:27

If your businesses suddenly want kaput and you lost everything, would you sell your telly because poor people shouldn't have big tellies?

NotQuiteBrummie · 27/08/2013 20:27

At what point during this crusade to make cheap yet healthy recipes accessible to "the poor", did you decide on the £26 RRP for the recipe book?

CorrinaKedavra · 27/08/2013 20:31

Good question Greythorne.

twistyfeet · 27/08/2013 20:41

Do your recipes in the outrageously expensive book feed a family of 5 for £35 a week? Because that is my budget. And I dont have freezer. Or a handy local market.

lambanana · 27/08/2013 20:53

I cant even bring myself to look at you never mind listen to the flat screen telly shenanigans as you write for the Sun newspaper. End. Of.

LEMisdisappointed · 27/08/2013 21:00

Ooooh - this is going to be fun Grin

SeaSickSal · 27/08/2013 21:04

Why are you so concerned with poor people who you don't think eat well? Why aren't you concerned with say, Philip Green or Eric Pickles or Dawn French or middle class people who guzzle wine and pate?

A criticism I would level at you is that your 'concern' seems to manifest itself in voyeuristic 'Jeremy Kyle' type moments in your shows where you invite the public to be shocked at how lazy, greedy and feckless the poor are.

Do you think in future shows you might be a bit more even handed in representing poor diet as something that affects all of us rather than simply blaming it on the poor?

Greythorne · 27/08/2013 21:29

Seasicksal

Great post.

(Is that a name change?)

Merguez · 27/08/2013 21:36

Some very harsh comments on here.

JO wants to teach people to shop, cook and eat better for less money. Seems like a good idea to me - after all schools don't teach stuff like that any more (I think they should).

People taking umbrage just because JO is successful and rich are missing the point here.

Why not reserve your judgement until you've seen his programme? No-one has to buy the book if they don't want to.

expatinscotland · 27/08/2013 21:38

JO wants to sell his latest book, that's what he wants.

GobbySadcase · 27/08/2013 21:50

Nice one, expat.
I used to have a lot of respect for JO, the campaigns before ave been run with excellent aims.

But promoting an expensive book (more than some families' weekly food budgets) after selling out promoting stuff mentioned previously on the thread whilst lecturing poor people in a very offensive way makes me switch off completely.