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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:
Arisbottle · 30/08/2013 16:14

I agree Tunip, when I use HFW it is cheaper - although just not eating meat can help you budget. I find Nigella and Jamie Oliver both quite expensive - Jamie Oliver more so I think.

swallowedAfly · 30/08/2013 16:35

it's not really 'clever' cooking if all you do is insist on expensive ingredients to bring the flavour in. with enough money i could live on fantastic food that was healthy and delicious simply by being able to buy fab ingredients that virtually need no prep or cooking really bar a bit of steaming or marinating.

honestly if i had £1.38ph per meal and all the time in the world to go shopping and cook we'd eat wonderfully.

it's the money time and access to ingredients that's the issue for most people who don't eat great. or the plain old lack of inclination as they loathe cooking (got a bit of that myself) and since when really was a moral failure to not enjoy cooking or see it as the biggest fucking priority in one's life?

it's just food.

though i suspect that's some kind of cardinal sin now - to think that food is just food.

noobieteacher · 30/08/2013 16:37

Tunip that's why JO is doing a budget book - but even in his budget book his portions cost a fair amount - I think it was £1.38 which is way over what most people use on a budget (or so they say, over on the other thread). I still don't believe that you can comfortably feed a family of 4 (adult sized teens) for much less than £10 a day all in (including breakfast, lunch, tea, coffee, biscuits etc) without being a forager or happy with watery tins of tomatoes and metallic tea.

swallowedAfly · 30/08/2013 16:39

it's just food.

are we allowed to say that? like beyond the emperor's new clothes and the interweaving of status and diet are we allowed to point out it is JUST food?

as in the stuff you eat, that your body very efficiently (bar months at sea without any vitamin c) extracts what it needs from and shits out what is left over?

obesity and starvation aside (and obesity hits all classes and all diets) it's just bloody petrol for the machine that has to be topped up every day.

maybe if we stopped obsessing over it so much we wouldn't have such issues.

Badvoc · 30/08/2013 16:40

Swallowedafly....exactly!
Exactly.

noobieteacher · 30/08/2013 16:45

SAF of course it's not just food - it's nutrition and it's crap chemicals. That is the debate - can you feed nutritiously and healthily for that amount. Of course you can for £1.38, but I think you'd be pushing it if you went much lower than that.

difficultpickle · 30/08/2013 16:46

But wasn't the whole point of this webchat to promote his new budget cooking series and book? If so I really don't think he is succeeding if he can't do a meal for four at £5 or under.

swallowedAfly · 30/08/2013 16:47

and honestly when you're staring down the line at no pension, no transport, maybe no bloody roof over your head because you'll get kicked out of your council house when your kids move out and then they'll be fucked because they can't afford to go to uni and there's no jobs and yada yada yada can you really expect people to give a flying fuck about whether they're eating the best possible diet according to the latest fashion on what's good/bad/indifferent for you?

really what we eat, so long as we have enough to eat, is really low priority shit isn't it?

it's 'while rome burned' distraction shite.

IloveJudgeJudy · 30/08/2013 16:48

Swallowed. I see you mentioned Tesco a lot. I know rather a lot about their work. If one starts, as you mention, shelf-stacking on a night shift, there are opportunities for promotion. Employees don't have zero hours contracts, Tesco do contribute towards pensions, they pay over the minimum wage, and I can't remember the other stuff you said.

noobieteacher · 30/08/2013 16:51

The point is food prices have gone up so much that it is very hard to cook for less than that without compromising on nutrition and health.

Badvoc · 30/08/2013 16:51

Noobie...rubbish.
Home grown salad veg, cheese, ham, home made bread rolls = £1 per person.
Home made soup with home grown veg = 50p per person
Puff pastry veg tart and home grown salad veg = £1 per person
It can be done.
It's harder for kids or people with allergies, but it can be done.

swallowedAfly · 30/08/2013 16:51

tesco do not pay sick pay and except the people on the 'old' contracts that they can't get out of they don't have set hours. their latest is a 'flexible' contract which means if you normally work mon, weds and fri but they decide you are coming in tuesday you have to and you won't get overtime because you're on a 'flexi' contract.

i know several people who work for them. whatever you do don't mix up the contracts people who started their 15yrs ago are on with reality now for more recent employees. though even the friend who has been there years doesn't get any sick pay.

swallowedAfly · 30/08/2013 16:52

and yes it is just food. if nutrition was the concern we'd all be doled out multi vitamins and minerals from birth.

but it's an industry with much money to be made.

noobieteacher · 30/08/2013 16:53

The thread established earlier on that he's looking at the squeezed middles rather than those that are truly desperate. He's going to do a free cookery book for those apparently which makes sense.

IloveJudgeJudy · 30/08/2013 16:55

Swallowed - they do pay sick pay after the first three days. The flexi contract is something you sign up to when you start. You will know what days/hours you might be asked to "flexi" up to.

Wallison · 30/08/2013 16:58

Tesco contracts are an abomination. You don't know what you're working week to week and you can't take on another job to make up the shortfall because of precisely that. They are a shit employer.

Badvoc - not everyone has a garden (I don't). Home grown veg is impossible for me.

ivykaty44 · 30/08/2013 16:59

Ilovejudy they do pay sick pay after the first three days thats because it is illegal not to do so as it is SSP and comes form the government

ExcuseTypos · 30/08/2013 17:00

I agree it isn't 'just food'. If it were they'd be no problem with living on take always every night or £1 supermarket ready meals.

I ordered JO new book for dd as she's off to university. It arrived today and although it is pretty useful for someone who already has lots of basic equipment, a freezer, a store cupboard full of pickles, herbs, oils etc, it certainly isn't for someone on a budget.

There's a lot of ingredients in every recipe and unless you already have the store cupboard ingredients, it will cost a hell of a lot more than £1.38 per person.

If you do already have this stuff, or can afford to buy it, there's some nice recipes. I also really like the fact he's done a lot of 'leftover' recipes. So if you're had a roast chicken there are 4 or 5 recipes for the left overs. Same with lamb, pork, beef and a side of salmon (which we all cook dont we? Wink). There are also tips on what to do with left over wineHmm, veg, fresh herbs etc.

I actually think this book will be more useful to me rather than dd, so I'll be keeping it for myself. I'm sure there are much cheaper, simpler, recipe books out there for students or anyone else on a budget.

usualsuspect · 30/08/2013 17:02

Tesco use work fare,though.

They do pay

usualsuspect · 30/08/2013 17:03

They do pay over nmw though

IloveJudgeJudy · 30/08/2013 17:04

Wallison and ivykaty - you do know what days/hours you are working. They do pay more than SSP after you have worked more than 6 months. You can take another job so long as you don't encroach on your "flexi" hours.

difficultpickle · 30/08/2013 17:04

I think it is hard to do a cookbook on a budget when you don't have to live on that budget and wouldn't know how to if you had to. 'A Girl Called Jack''s blog has loads of cheap nutrious recipes (and a cookbook being published next year) which she devised as she had to live on a budget.

usualsuspect · 30/08/2013 17:05

ACtually Tesco pay quite well,and my DD is on a fixed contract .but she has worked there for a long time.

usualsuspect · 30/08/2013 17:09

See it is just food, I said on the other thread there is nothing wrong with eating fish fingers ,mash and frozen veg.

You don't have to eat fancy food to eat well

Wallison · 30/08/2013 17:11

But the flexi hours aren't guaranteed; employees have to be available for them, but there is no reciprocity in that the employer doesn't have to provide them.

Actually, you know what, fuck it. I can't be arsed to argue with someone who doesn't think that a contract of employment should be reciprocal. If you think it's such a good deal, go and get a job in Tesco stacking shelves. Bet you won't.