Webchat with Jamie Oliver - 12.30pm Tuesday 12 May

[BojanaMumsnet]

We’re pleased to announce that Jamie Oliver will be joining us for a webchat tomorrow. No stranger to Mumsnet, the father of four, chef, author and campaigner is back as he promotes Food Revolution Day on 15 May. Jamie is campaigning for children to be educated about food, asking for practical food education to be part of the school curriculum across the G20 countries. You can read more about the campaign and sign the petition here.

Do join us on the day here for a live discussion from 12.30 tomorrow but if you can’t make it, leave your question for Jamie on this thread. As ever, please remember our webchat guidelines.

Thanks
MNHQ

@fallenempires

Hi Jamie, I think that one of the major problems you're up against here is that schools generally see food tech/catering as a lesser subject. Ds1 is taking GCSE Catering this Summer and despite complaints from both parents and students they have not been timetabled double lessons which as you can imagine impacts on what they can both learn and produce in a limited time (think expensive inedible slop!) How will you be able to tackle this? Btw he made your tomato soup for his practical so we're expecting an A* right ??

Hi there fallenempires. You're absolutely right - it's going to take time to bed-in the relevance physically and philosophically into many schools, councils and government, but with Britain being the most unhealthy country in Europe, it is only fair that that place called school, where all the kids go everyday, plays its part in what I think is the frontline against obesity and diet related disease.

It's also one of the most cost effective for the British tax payer and technically it has the power to add an extra 7 or 10 years to your life, which last time I checked, many other subjects didn't have the power to do.

Education, like any other business, needs to be relevant. But to your point, we must treat heads and teachers right, they should be well supported and resourced, and that across 26 thousand schools will always be a challenge. I will always do my bit to share and spread good practice and make sure that it's fun, enlightening and tasty.

Hi Jamie - when talking about diabetes please make sure you distinguish between the two types. Hard enough for a child to have to deal with type one without people perpetuating myths about it - I am of course referring to the infamous coke can picture.

Hi Jamie!
How does it feel being 40 and will this milestone affect your eating habits at all?

@noushinkananian

What's your point of view regarding Vegetarian? They say two portion of red meat a week is OK! Other's say there is no point of eating chicken and red meat since vegetarian live longer and are healthier than meat eaters. Also there is risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and etc....What should we do?

Hi noushinkananian,

Vegetarian and well managed vegan diets are looking very good at the moment in general health terms. We should all be learning from them and focusing on enjoying more plant-based delights. I personally try to eat vegetarian 2-3 times a week. It will save you a load of money and it challenges you to be more creative but it's been an absolute joy. As far as meat is concerned, many parts of the world which have areas of very long life expectancy do eat lots of vegetables but they do also eat meat too. So we shouldn't scaremonger - if you can be vegetarian - do the best you can. If you love meat go for higher quality and in moderation. On a personal note, going for wild meats or organic meats or even cheaper cuts of organic meats which are more afffordable but free range and grass fed are always optimal for me. The reality is that your great-grandmother would never have consumed the volume of meat that we easily do breakfast lunch and dinner 6-7 days a week. Winding back is definitely a good idea.It is also definitely beneficial for the environment and your wallet!

@SewingAndCakes

Hi Jamie,

Will you be bringing out a vegetarian book soon? We're all vegetarian in my family but I'm struggling to get the kids to eat protein that isn't processed.... Thanks.

Hi SewingandCakes

I've written a vegetarian book and I'm waiting for the chance for Channel 4 to show it. They're not yet convinced the general public want to see it, personally in my position I disagree.

On the protein story, ultimately legumes and beans you've just got to be ninja about the wonderful world of beans. You can source and get the most delightful range online. You've got a pretty good selection in supermarkets, but if you see how to Spanish and Italians cook with beans, and whether it's whole, smashed, soft, crispy, the possibilities are endless. And online you can source anything. The shapes and colours are beyond belief - these are often bought dried, and they're cheap as chips, but much more nutritious.

Everyone talks about tofu, and there's some standard average stuff, but if you can get into Japanese supermarket, the range and types are mind-blowing, and it's mind-blowing - not because they're vegetarian, but because it's just great. Good luck!

@StrawberrytallCake

Hi Jamie! I enjoy teaching my children the value of nutritional food at home. Do you think you would ever be interested in writing a children's cookbook? I've recently purchased the silver spoon for children and it has really inspired my 6 year old dd to cook and try things she normally wouldn't.

We have all of your books in this house and would certainly welcome a children's version!

Hi StrawberrytallCake

The answer is yes I'd love to do it. Think I'm ready to do it now that I've had 4 kids! I think when you're a parent and you've seen a few things you're well-armed. So I think now is the time to do it. I've seen the good bad ugly and inspirational and there's no one rule or recipe that works for every parent. But the theme of this whole chat has really been to talk about the differences between specifics, which are important, but my focus is always also on getting the energy and vibe right and really arming kids with little bubbles of information which make them much more streetwise about the world of food. A lot of kids and parents don't even know when they are getting it wrong. So we have to start from the real basics.

My first cook book was a Marguerite Patten children's cookbook - I still remember it fondly!

@TurnOverTheTv

Hi Jamie, my 10 year old daughter Charlotte is steadily working her way through your books, and has made some amazing meals.

She auditioned for your new kids cookery programme with FreshOne productions in Manchester, but unfortunately didn't get through this time.

It's knocked her confidence a bit, do you have any words of encouragement t for her?

Much love!

Hi there TurnOverTheTv

Charlotte - don't let funny strange TV people knock your confidence. It sounds like you're doing amazing things, getting involved, and sometimes it's just about timing - not talent. It's quite hard, as I'm sure you've seen on these TV shows when you see so many people and you're trying to get a real stretch of types of kids from different backgrounds, so it definitely wouldn't have been personal. So keep cooking - and i'm sure i'll see you sometime soon!

My favourite naughty treat is the ultimate cheese toastie from my Comfort Food book (pg. 275) - it's outrageous and just next level.

Hi Jamie,
What's your go to dinner with 4 kids?
Am due number 4 very soon and need some inspiration please.
Thanks

Hi Jamie,

I really admire what you are trying to achieve with this campaign, healthy cooking and eating is such an essential life skill.

I'm from the UK but live in Brazil which has its own issues with childhood obesity. Why did you decide to involve the G20 and go global with this campaign?

My 7 year old DD has really been struggling to read in school and I just wanted to let you know that sitting down together and reading your recipe books and getting her to follow the instructions has really helped; not only in her becoming more adventurous in the food she will try, but she's found books that don't 'frighten' her.

She now looks forward to choosing meals for the family. Thanks.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel

Hello Jamie. I really wish you would do a vegetarian book, and also a tv series with/for kids.

My question is:
Where do you stand on the #wewantplates campaign? What is the daftest most original and unusual thing you've ever served food in?

Thank you

Hi TheCountessofFitzdotterel

I don't know if it really needs a campaign - I've never been overwhelmed by non-platey-plates! Now that you mention it I am starting to recall seeing a few strange things. I think plates are very nice in schools with kids instead of prison trays.

I think if it gets in the way of enjoying a meal - then the chef's gone mad! Chefs do sometimes go mad and like in any profession, artists, musicians... I never did understand why Lady Gaga wore a dress made out of meat. But it did get attention - it might be the same with these chefs.

I will keep my eye on this. If you see something in a restaurant and think it's a bad idea, just go and tell the chef, he'll be pleased to hear it :)

Thanks Jamie, I will become a legume ninja!

@Marshy

Hi Jamie! How does it feel being 40 and will this milestone affect your eating habits at all?

Hi Marshy

Just a minute... hold your horses - I've got at least another week of being 39!

It doesn't feel that great - I'm just processing it all at the moment. I feel like i've climbed a hill and now i've just got to walk down it.

Only joking - I feel happy. Since my wife's been 40, she's had a little spring in her step, so hopefully it'll be the same for me.

Hopefully it won't effect my eating habits because in the last year, I feel i've got them in a really good place.

Hi Jamie, what about children with sensory processing disorders? I have 4 children, 2 have autism.

All of my kids love food but my 4 year old son finds food challenging, almost frightening. We've tried everything to help him with food.

How would a programme like this be all inclusive? We have two children in our school in wheelchairs and many other children who have other needs.

Would schools need to be adapted for cooking and growing food? And what about inner city schools which have very little space?

Where will the money come from to provide this?

I would also worry about the message from this curriculum, having 2 autistic children who take everything literally I would worry about the negative impact something positive might have.

We shop with £60 a week for everything and my children eat well but I've made it my mission to get it right. If you get the go ahead please try not to patronise parents, we have a tough job as it is.

@MmeLindor

My daughter is 13 years old, and in her first year of high school cooking lessons, she's made soup 5 times. She's also made the most disgusting macaroni cheese EVER, which was prepared using dried milk powder. She brought it home and binned it.

I've been teaching her to cook at home, and she's even making YouTube videos to teach other kids, because we've found that the standard of teaching in schools is often so abysmal. In her report card this year, the teacher says she 'shows potential', because she is confident in cooking her own meals, which I think is a basic life skill.

My question is this - I've mentioned this in school but had no response. How do I go about pushing them to improve their home economics lesson?

Hi MmeLindor

Like any other subject that is important in school, it needs to be measured. Which is why Ofsted are considering very seriously to structure the delivery of this subject. Ultimately if we take it seriously, this is a good thing, on the condition that education really does support teachers to be the best they can be. Making sure we support teachers right, give them really really good content and reference points (which my charity has been doing for a long time, videos, recipes, competitions). I don't know anyone who uses milk powder in their cooking - so why have it in schools? Soups are fantastic, but the concept of soup-making is one part of what needs to be taught along with stews, pasta dishes etc etc. This is what we teach in our Ministry of Food centres to the general public around the country.

MmeLindor - it could be worse - ds3 once had a Food Tech lesson that consisted of cooking pasta and pouring over a jar of the cheapest possible pasta sauce.

Thank you so much for replying Jamie, Charlotte will be over the moon!

@IpanemaChica

Hi Jamie,

I really admire what you are trying to achieve with this campaign, healthy cooking and eating is such an essential life skill.

I'm from the UK but live in Brazil which has its own issues with childhood obesity. Why did you decide to involve the G20 and go global with this campaign?

Hi IpanemaChica

Really good question. It is still a global campaign, but i'm simply focussing on the G20 as it's an occasion and a gathering. I'm just one man with a campaign and focus is really important when trying to make change.

The G20 will be discussing many things i'm sure around terrorism, national security, economics - but diet related disease, for probably most of this countries bar Mexico, will be the biggest killer. And the cost to healthcare will be unimaginable, so this simply campaign about it being a child's human right to have access to practical food education at this moment in time and in this climate of bad health it is fair, logical and as important as the other subjects being discussed at the G20.

6 of those countries have made the commitment, the UK, Sweden, Japan, Finland, Netherlands and one other I can't think of right now because my brain's not working! But hopefully you understand what I do is agitate conversation and there's never a perfect way to do that, but if i can get your support, the public support, that will make change.

Perfection won't happen overnight, if it exists, so it's a long road which is why it's important that we drive it, because governments only really work in 4 year cycles.

@californiaburrito

Hi Jamie-

Thanks for all the work you have done to increase awareness of healthy eating in schools.

I'm one of those awful pushy PTA moms at a inner London primary school. 80% of our children are classified in the lowest categories of social deprivation and in excess of 50% qualify for FSM. Breakfast can be an ice lolly and dinner a box of chips.

Our kids are desperate for practical cooking lessons and it has been their top request for any work the PTA does. Our Heads are would love to offer increased opportunity to cook for the students and to link cooking with other subjects. I would love to help provide this for the school. So, as you can see, we're already sold on your idea for practical food education.

But how are we going to do it? We don't have the money or the space. (I'm currently shopping for a double decker bus to house the library that we lost 2 years ago)

So when you're done kicking ass with your petition, how can you help all of us make it happen?

Thanks

Hi californiaburrito

The Government have made it law that we need to arm and teach our kids with food education in the UK which is amazing. What you're expressing is that they haven't done the other bit of their deal which is to facilitate amazing people like you to take an inch and make it into a mile. In Lambeth my Kitchen Garden project was sponsored by Google and cost £75 per school and provides for as much access to content as they want. The schools have done radical things with not much budget and they are open to sharing their skills. Get in touch by emailing [email protected] and say that your team would like to support them. As you've said, money is really really important and I've got something I am working on in a few months time that has the power, if the public will consider it, to put £500 million into the school system. But I'll leave that conversation for another day.

@chocolateyay

Do you despair of current eating habits - grazing, snacking, breakfast in a bar/bottle, ping and peel dinners?

I know you try hard but can this trend be reversed? British food used to be envied for the quality and variety of its fresh/basic ingredients - now its famous for 'meat' of questionable provenance. Now we are storing up a generation of health issues due to bad diet/overweight kids.

Do we need to start with the supermarkets, farms, importers, doctors, government, advertisers, schools...?

(DS thinks you are brill).

Hi chocolateyay

I've think you've seen me dispairing for at least a decade, often putting myself in uncomfortable positions or balling my eyes out about something happening somewhere in the world!

But as bad as public health have been there are signs of reversal and I would like to be philosophical that us humans always push things quite far, because that's what we do, but then we look back and see what's great about the past - we're at that stage now.

There's been amazing initiatives in the larger food industry on salt and cleaning up of ingredient decs, more local and regional product, and I think with technology going the way it is, some of the political stories we've been talking about today there is now a whole handful of things that are starting to change the way we shop and eat, in-front and behind the scenes, but it just takes time. I'm optimistic that in the next 10 years, we will start to see a reversal in these bad trends. But i'm 40 next week and I've probably only got another 20 years left of hard work!

This is the second time I've been on Mumsnet and it is always a pleasure. You're an amazing community and I know you've got lots of strong views and I'm not suggesting that everything I do is always perfect, but I'm hopeful that we all agree that any excuse to inspire a child about the environment and food and what happens when they puts stuff into their bodies and how that in turn will help them to be on Mumsnet as a parent in the future. That's a really really good thing.

I'm really committed to this cause for the rest of my career and with your help, signing this petition and sharing it on social media, which will take about 45 seconds, will be a really powerful vote for the importance of this subject for our kids. Thank you if you've done it - and if you haven't, thank you if you're going to sign it!

Hi Jamie! I somehow feel close to you as I have 3 girls and then had a boy, what a shock, a wonderful shock!!
I would love you to do a cookery book for older children so they can learn how to cook and help out the family, one night off a fortnight would go down very well here! What is your quick meal that all 4 of yours will eat that doesn't involve pasta please?!!! Thank you.

Thank you Jamie - I've enjoyed reading your answers, and am looking forward to seeing what you do this year. I would be interested in the vegetarian show, even as a meat eater. maybe C4 should be open minded to it.

I'm not sure if you have finished on here now, or if this is allowed on webchat (sorry if that's the case!) If you are on here for a little more time, please consider answering my question. I am a big fan, and you have our whole family eating healthily from your books, apart from my 6yr old son (My question is upthread)