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'd contribute to the roasting, but I can't afford the vast quantities of olive oil required.

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.

As far as I can work out (I don't have one so can't check) a medium sized slow cooker uses under 1kw to cook a meal. A hob on a low setting would probably use a little more. I can't find the data for my own induction hob.

When I was a skint student, this sort of slow cooking did a wonderful job of warming up an otherwise icy cold house.

Oh dear, BoF, there's that "can't do" mentality again. You obviously have to sell your computer, buy lots of olives and make your own olive oil. You could set yourself up in the Olive Oil Business in no time. I'm sure that's how they did in in Sicily.

Corinna, yes I am and glad you found it helpful.

One of the blog followers recosted the weekly Crisis menus a year later and they've all gone up a fiver or so.

Corinna, I was in Umbria a couple of Augusts ago and there was no bloody decent food anywhere. We lived on cheap pizza and entry level pasta with tomato sauce, including when we went out, as that was pretty much all there was locally. Luckily there were some fruit trees in the garden and I cooked up some bits and pieces from that, but if we hadn't had access to those, food would have been very boring indeed.

Oh god, Boffin, that is bad. I know what you mean about entry-level pasta and sugo too. One of my favourite threads was from someone trying to make a decent sauce with no expensive store-cupboard ingredients, not simmering for hours to reduce and increase flavour because it uses a lot of electricity and it was very illuminating here

Still - never mind. Jamie Oliver will be along shortly to tell us all where we are going wrong.

Your book was marvellous in so many respects and still only £2.99!

Don't have a question, just marking my place 'cos I don't want to miss this!

I had a similar experience in Kyrenia where the only fruit and veg were in tins, imported from southern Cyprus, Tesco type of stuff. Bloody awful eating on that holiday.

Deletions already.

I won't ask my question then.

That will be about pt 4 of the 'rules' re polite and civil Corrina, with him being a guest and all.

And Jamie, if you are so committed to improving the health of the nation how come the ministry of food you opened in Rotherham shut not long after the cameras stopped rolling?

Perhaps because few of the people living in Rotherham are the demographic you make your money from so it was not a good investment when it no longer brought national attention?

Would you consider doing some publicity for research into the medical disorder my daughter has which means she is allergic to food and relies on a hypoallergenic formula to survive. It's obviously quite rare but becoming more common and we need to find a cure.

Can you imagine never being able to eat?

Here's a question for Jamie.
Why does the fruit and veg from Cambridge market go off so quick?

Jamie would you consider backing Iceland instead of Sainsbury's as they are the only supermarket that haven't been involved in some sort of food scandal of late?

Dad's are allowed to go too, you know?

at Dads going to Iceland. Good question. I buy all my veg from there, flash-frozen, not having access to a kitchen-garden bigger than Heathrow Airport.

See Jamie? Ain't no Shergar in Corrinas broad beans.

Wouldn't you describe a business that expects its staff to work 80-100 hours a week as exploitative and, frankly, financially unstable?

Hi I love you Jamie.

I'd like to know how you don't put on bundles of weight. I'd pile it on if I worked cooking food all day!

I've just ordered your new book. I cook on a budget mainly and hate wasting food, so I'm looking forward to receiving it soon.

Also, I ate at a Jamies Italian once and was completely disappointed!

Asking once more alongside the other posters. Is this a reality of your restaurants?

Sleepy Hollow Hedgehogs27 August 2013 15:18
I have a friend works for Mr Oliver on minimum wage at 44 years of age. I went to one of his restaurants and bought 2 drinks and 2 cakes and it came to almost £17 which is why Mr Oliver is a multi-millionaire and my friend uses payday loans to manage.
mumvausterity.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/response-to-jamie-oliver-self-appointed.html#comment-form

"I'd like to know how you don't put on bundles of weight"

I'd like to know this as well.

I'm looking forward to the excuses.

Your books taught me to cook.

I believe you've done a lot of good.

The harm you've caused with your recent comments more than outweighs that.

Are you planning to start a regular feature for the Daily Mail?

Blimey.

Just blimey.

Jamie, how much do you donate to charity per annum?

Where are the proceeds of your latest book and series going?

And again, how many of your employees are on zero hours contracts? How many, if on FT contracts, are paid below the threshold for working tax credits?

Jamie, why do you expect people to opt out of the EU working time directive to profit your business endeavours, because that directive was in place when you were still well below minor age?

I'm just marking my place in this carnage - FWIW, I think the road to a MN roasting is paved with good intentions, but in the same week as making judgmental generalisations about "poor" people in the press, this really is the last place Mr Oliver would want to be.

I just hope that the inevitable public outcomes of this webchat focuses on the intelligent social commentary being put forward by all these MNers, and doesn't just descend into more nest of vipers commentary.