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.

merguez I have no problem with Oliver being rich and successful, just with his ill-thought out and hypocritical judgments on situations and people abut which he knows very little.

I would also like to see expat's question about selling jarred sauces v haranguing people for using them to be answered.

Have all JO's books - find them really easy to follow and the majority of the recipes we like. Another one who would live to see a Vegetarian book, or at least one that uses far less meat. I eat fish/seafood so use lots of those recipes of yours, but don't like meat. Love to see more veggie meals though.

Also -would you consider doing a decent cookbook aimed at young cooks?

DD is 11y and loves to cook - proper cooking, making meals rather than just baking buns/cakes. Whilst there are books out there most are aimed at a younger age range and focus too much on baking. Would love to see a decent cookbook, written out clearly for younger cooks but not patronising/childish if you see what I mean. DD has some dyslexic type issues so one that was clearly laid out, decent space between lines of writing with clear images would be good - and covering proper meals that they can cook for the whole family and definitely not just "kids" food. Maybe also starting with some basic meal planning, how to chose a main and dessert, deciding on ingredients, etc.

Jamie. Families on low incomes, who often have health and social issues, low literacy and educational achievements and low self esteem need to eat well on a pittance with no access to supermarkets, only wildly understocked and overpriced local shops. Very often with no access to gas/electricity.

Where would you start with this, Jamie, what would you advice would you give please?

Other Mners have already mentioned your extremely disappointing and classist comments of today so instead of just reiterating that i thought i would ask you about your comments about young people.
Could you please clarify or explain the comments you made here Thankyou.

www.psychologies.co.uk/work/are-the-youth-of-today-too-lazy-to-work.html

1. Please answer ltevedallas's question.
2. Do you have any idea what it is like to be a lone parent, working 50 hours a week outside the home, not living near a good market, barely making enough to pay for childcare, permanently exhausted with a fridge-freezer on its last legs, no car etc etc, toddler underfoot in the kitchen?
3. Instead of flogging yet another book, why not just send all mnetters one good, cheap easy meal recipe a week for free.
4. Why do you feel a need to be divisive? Surely with the rising cost of living you could promote your show by targeting everyone who wants to eat well for less...mmmm.

What advice would you give people like my brother, who was housed by the council for weeks in a B&B room with no access to cooking facilities?

Hi Jamie.

I think it's important that schools should fund basic cooking lessons again. What are your thoughts?

I also think its important that new families and existing are made aware of basic store cupboard ingredients and utensils to help them cook from scratch.

I saw a video of your young son Buddy dancing to Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines song... What do you think of the song and its rapey lyrics and its dodgy video? Do you think it sets a good example to your children?

Just to add to Greythornes post.

Did you regret saying

"It should punch you round the face, with a little kiss after"

For your BBQ sauce?

Have you heard of Gerald Rather and how he destroyed his own successful business empire with an ill judged comment?

Jamie - You seem to have lots of opinions on people with lower incomes or on benefits. As someone who was successful from a young age and who has not had to experience poverty and having children at the same time, what has made you decide focus on this.

Other than when you have a camera crew with you, do you actually spend any time personally investigating the issues you suggest are happening.

The benefits myths you have been recently peddling suggest your investigations involve reading the Daily Mail, is this true?

Jamie
IF your passion is for food, rather than marketing and money (£26rrp for a book about inexpensive eating, really?), would an idea to spend some of your millions on free initiatives to educate on buying, storing, preparing and cooking food properly? A bit like Delia's classic Complete Cookery Course, except

• updated to use free all new media means for max reach, apps etc
• using online demos
• free targeted laminates available outside of Sainsburys
• offer services free to orgs such as MSE, PAGs, Gingerbread and any other org with a direct interest in the better well-being of less well-off people or in difficult circumstances
• aimed at younger people (without the '15' recruitment tag) to secure better future out comes

And don't align it to a new book.Otherwise you'll end up appearing like a just any other knobish 'tv cook' with a slick PR/marketing machine.

And talking about PR, you surely have such people?

Jamie I have a lot of your books and I enjoy cooking from them. However I feel really peed off by your negative comments about poor people and TVs.

I also wonder how your British staff feel about the comments you've made today about British workers being lazy?

It's not about the food anymore, you're making personal judgements which you have extrapolated into whole sections of society. Why are you doing this?

*Did you regret saying

"It should punch you round the face, with a little kiss after"

For your BBQ sauce?*

MN - can you make sure Honeydragon question goes to the top of the pile please.

I used to really like Jamie

Did you regret saying "oh yes jools, going onto mnet for a webchat is a really good idea"

Hi, Jamie.

I worked with a health visitor for a while and have been into homes where there's not a lot but often have a huge TV or stereo system so I get what you're saying. Problem is, people who are less well off are reliant on places like Brighthouse for items for their homes and Brighthouse don't sell small TVs. Also, a few pounds out of their income every week isn't a big hit (a few pounds over a few years is a huge mark up though). Cooking skills and budgets are often taught by schools and parents. If they don't do this because there's no lessons or because no one's taught them then they can't pass the skills down. It may be a good idea to look at the home economics lessons that children should get in secondary school and see how these can be improved

Anyway, I grew up in a house where fresh food was rare. My father used to buy a sack of potatoes and would cook chips with something out of a can on most days. I moved to go to University and I had no cooking skills apart from whacking a potato into a microwave, and I've had to teach myself. I have a 14 year old who is learning to cook (we're coming to your Big Festival on Sunday) but I've no idea where to start. Is there a list of basic things that a teenager should be able to cook? He's veg phobic (doesn't like the taste ) and we don't eat too many take aways .

Thank you.

I have a suspicion this webchat won't go ahead...or it will be very selective answers

Lady - i'm glad you wasn't my health visitor!

In a recent article, he labelled himself a "shit stirrer" as well as giving quite a few comments that were considered controversial and frankly a bit distasteful (ironic, considering he's a chef ).

I think that, in all honesty, if he is quite happy to "shit stir" then he should be man enough to show up for a webchat regardless. I am appalled that someone who has his level of money/income is comfortable making sweeping derogatory statements about the poor and the youth of today. Surely there are better ways to get people interested in cooking than being inflammatory and falling back on Daily Mail stereotypes. I'm curious to know what type of research (if any) he did into what poor families are dealing with before he put together this book and started making his "guaranteed press" comments.

It was the health visitor who pointed this out, LEMis.

why the face? Its very worrying isn't it that HCP are looking down on the people they are supposed to be helping, what hope is there for the rest of them. So i will refresh my comment to im glad she wasn't my HV and you weren't her lacky. oh and no, i don't have a huge TV and don't even know what brighthouse is.

Jamie Oliver making comments about "the youth of today" makes me feel old!

" making sweeping derogatory statements about the poor and the youth of today."

But with all the propaganda on the BBC and channel 4 (DM goes without saying!) going on over the last few months, it's not surprising that so many have a derogatory attitude to the feckless poor.

So, Jamie, how about bucking the trend of blindly believing stereotypes and try to make a change at that level, rather than writing books that those it's aimed for will never be able to afford?
How about a campaign to get proper, honest cookery back into schools, including teaching the skills needed to meal plan and properly budget?

why should he spend time and money trying to get cookery books into school - he spent time and money trying to get school lunches changed and look at the thrashing he got for that. Unless he is sadistic why put up with the pain of another campaign to help yet get beaten by people pushing chips through the school railings