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.

I hate cooking. I never have the time so I am always open to new quick ideas for meals

However I always end up doing the same things because whenever I buy a recipe book and seem to find a new simple meal it invariably requires me to purchase some Moondust seeds or Dodo teeth extract.

I would like a cook book that just does simple, everyday stuff and doesn't require me to travel to Madagascar to source the essential herbs and spices.
That wasn't a question either just a rant from a lazy cook with not much in my cupboards.

YouveCatToBeKittenMe - Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course is the one that you want. Only £2.71 here - a bargain!

Thank you BIWI that looks good

We have survived on DH's pre marriage Cooking for one book by Delia so far, we just multiply the quantities!

Gosh, don't know whether to be impressed, or hide under the bed until the webchat is over. Hope MNHQ have got lots of hard hats ready.

Jamie
I really like your books, and have used the recipes with great success in the past. Like many others, I was disappointed to read of your comments, and hoped that you might have been misquoted or misunderstood. If not, I do hope that the ensuing discussion has been beneficial to your understanding of a life in poverty.

We lived abroad for 20 years, and in that time I noticed a massive increase in ready meals available in supermarkets when visited UK on holiday. I do feel that the promotion of 'healthy' and 'gourmet' style ready meals have normalized this kind of nutrition, where it used to be a one-off quick fix, or an occasional treat. Added to this, there are often promotions of ready menu, with starter, main course and dessert to feed a family.

I worry that without decent home ec classes in schools, our kids won't learn how to cook. Would you consider putting your money where your mouth is and joining Mumsnet in campaigning to get kids cooking in school again?

re the cost of the new book there are usually a good selection of recipes on the JO website for nothing-just had a look and the new book has a section with 'recipes coming soon'

forgot my question:

Jamie-how much would you say was the minimum amount on which you could feasibly feed a family of four for a week (without exceptionally humungous store cupboard and no handfuls of fresh herbs which as we all know are only affordable in 'chef-land') ?

As someone else asked:

What would you class as the store cupboard staples?

I can understand Jamie's reluctance to get involved with school reform. The current governments programme of Academies and Free Schools has wiped out much of Jamie's previous work with school dinners.

I would like to know how it saves money to use cheap cuts of meat that need slow cooking given that you can end up having to cook them for up to 4 hours.

Have Jamie's researchers calculated the fuel costs and demonstrated that it really will save money?

Triggles I saw that one too and was at that woman with the chicken! That programme was kind of what I meant about poverty porn though - neither side really learned anything. Whereas in the budget food programme I think the chefs really did 'get' it. Well, a bit, anyway.

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

Jamie. I've been a long time fan.

However.... I'm not going to say anymore about the "poor in the UK" as have nothing to add.

But why oh why are you working at The Sun? Jamie! Page 3 is a sexist misogynistic anachronism. Would you work for a racist publication? Sexism should be no different.

Check out No More Page 3 / Every Day Sexism website if you're still unconvinced of the pernicious harm being done. You know what we consume matters. How women are portrayed in The Sun is detrimental. I'm a fan Jamie but you seem to have lost your way and turned all jingoistic and populist and found yourself on the Murdoch payroll.

Tell me it's not so.

Jamie plenty of research shows that standards of cooking, the purchase of fresh food, the ability to access it and changing demographic patterns has negatively affected what is cooked fresh and how and who by in Italy, Spain, France and Greece- all those lovely countries you romanticise as being full of kindly Grannies teaching the little ones to cook.

I have quoted on the other thread a document w/ statistics pertaining to this with regard to Italy. In France/Italy there have been massive increases in the availability and purchasing of supermarket frozen and convenience foods and real changes in how younger people eat. This is in tandem with increased poverty, unemployment and social unrest. Fast food outlets and pre- packaged food purchase is on the rise in Italy and correlates positively w/ lowered income, unemployment and social insecurity.

It is inaccurate and offensive to depict hard times as being positively correlated with the best food and present this as some kind of idealised state of living. Do you really think the People of Italy would have chosen to eat Cucina Povera if they'd have had the choice? Do you think those enduring war and subsequent deprivations would have chosen to grind acorns to make flour and drinks with if they'd have had anything better? How do you think this makes people feel who lay awake night after night knowing that one more bill (even for £5) will tip them over the edge? That buying cheap convenience food because of transport/where they live/availability/what their oen parents didn't teach them is depicted by you as a horrendous moral failing? And that the cheap TV, the cheapestsource of entertainment in a world where it costs £££ to do so many activities w/ children is now used as a stick to beat them with. The very TV that YOU have made your millions from. Shame on you.

Making these offensive comments to garner headlines cheapens you even more especially considering 1) You make a lot of your your money in part from selling poor quality ready prepared jarred food sold by supermarkets which have done so much to damage the supply of variety in food and 2) You are making television shows presumably to be watched on these flat screen TV's you are so scathing that 'poor eaters' have.

My Daughter is training to be a Patissiere and works long long hours in a teashop/patisserie where more than half of the staff are British. They take great exception to your rude comments about lazy British workers and suggest that perhaps you are an employer who would like to take advantage of foreign born labour prepared to work longer illegal hours. I assume you are happy to provide the media w/ full details of the ethnic make up of all your restaurants and copies of your rosters to back up your claims. We used to work Doctors half to death too with 90 hour weeks. Doesn't make it right. I could likely go to a developing nation and employ hundreds of locals on 50+ hour weeks on minimum wage. Doesn't make it right.

I await the publication of A Girl Called Jack's book. I will not buy yours, nor your products nor visit your restaurants. Shame on you.

Bravo, mignonette, and I'd like to see Crack's question: how many of your employees are on zero-hour contracts?

Great post,mignonette.

I think it covers everything.

Thank you >

Yes to Crack's question too. Full disclosure Jamie seeing as you are in an honest kind of mind.

I heard managers from Jamie's have great maternity pay which is unheard of in the hospitality industry.

Just the managers?

I was already to come along and echo the comments that this is a bad idea.

But instead I'll be another one echoing greythorne and honeydragon.

Jamie, do you think making light of DV and prostitution is a particularly healthy activity?

Great post mignonette

Usual, not sure, I worked for many years as a General Manager in Central London, so only heard it being talked about as if I had the same position working for Jamie. I would assume it would be all salaried staff head chefs, sous chefs, managers, assistant managers. Most waiters, commis chefs would be paid hourly so I would assume slightly different contract. This is all hearsay though
I would say that in my hospitality circles, Jamie's and the deli are considered well paid, a great place to work and there are a lot of staff perks etc in comparison to most chains

As tax credit is now considered a benefit, I would like to know what efforts Jamie makes to ensure his employees don't have to claim benefit. After all, they may have a plasma tv and that would never do.

dd1 works in catering and hospitality and has been in the last couple of months in a new venture - they have struggled to get staff and have had:

one parent phone up to try to talk to the boss about the work her dd was doing

two members of staff leave as it was to much hard work, both young men in their twenties

one member of staff text at 2am to say she was sick, only the following day it came to light she had been night clubbing and was out drunk at 2am as another member of staff saw her out the night before and was in for their shift and grassed her up by mistake

They are not employed on zero or low hour contracts above minimum wage pay. At the moment they have two full time positions available but no takers.

hearing this stories at home I can understand why these comments have been made.