Are you watching Jamie Oliver's school dinners?

[MunchedTooManyMarsLady]

Jamie's being given a run for his money. Loving it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

having looked quickly back, as the thread has moved on, I agree that it is not lack of money that prevents kids from being fed, it's lack of care.

It seems obvious from the programme that the parents need as much re-education as the children do on food. Not that I blame them because it's like our whole society has been brainwashed by the food industry which has tentacles in so many other businesses - advertising, printing and packaging, logistics, even house building. They push confusing messages all the time - like diet coke is healthier than fruit juice because it contains less sugar, for example! Fruit and veg. just isn't branded and that isn't as profitable, but this government is too compromised by big business to regulate them properly (just like previous governments).

Funny someone mentioned earlier about the school selling off the playing fields to a supermarket. Our school sold off some playing fields a few years ago so that the school could afford a decent science block. We couldn't have had a successful ofsted inspection without one. It happens all over and it's a crying shame.

I thought it said on the programme this evening that the 37p was just for the main course? Not nitpicking - it's not enough in any case!

... but anyway, I think Jamie Oliver is fantastic for doing this series and making the sort of changes soapbox has talked about, and I used to think he was a bit irritating.

sorry, i meant for the mum on a budget, not the school. tho am worried now about how much cr*p dd1 is getting at school dinners.

I found lots of time for Jamie after he started 15. I really liked him but once the restaurant started I knew he was wonderful.

Misdee - understand now!! I'm just an accountant at heart getting all worked up about budgets

Snafu - you might be right - the Durham budget was more though wasn;t it (44p?????)

Even so, as you say still nowhere near enough

Yes, think it was 44p. Pathetic, isn't it?

damn, just seen Jamie Oliver endorse Sainsburys. That's why I always found him irritating. Still, influence them from the inside and all that.

God that was depressing. If my child ever appeared on national television, was asked what he'd had for dinner the previous evening, and said "Pot Noodle" I would die of shame.

The school dinners are shocking, the level of education is shocking (that kid who thought rhubarb was an onion!), and the fact that the parents collude in all this is shocking.

That woman giving those twizzler-things to her chidren and saying she knew they were crap...I wanted to hit her And it isn't just down to money - I bet those twizzlers cost more than say a jacket potato and baked beans, with a bit of cheese grated on top.

If parents can't even be rsed to see that their children eat a decent diet then it has* to start in Primary School (like Nora said - you have to get them young, aged 4 or 5, when they start reception) It was fantastic to see those kids tucking into the chicken and salad (though, tbh, I think kids need more carbohydrate than that - I bet they were hungry by home time).

One of ds1's school friends has the most appalling diet of any child I've ever known - he eats sausages, smiley faces, sausage rolls and has Dairylea lunchables for packed lunch every day. His Mum says "he won't try anything else" "it's a waste of money/food because he won't eat it" but, having known her for four years now I know that the truth is that her diet is appallingly limited and that is why his is too. He came for tea one night and I did pizza, garlic bread, sweetcorn and salad. he looked at the sweetcorn and said "what's that? I'm not eating that." She said "oh he's never had sweetcorn." It's hardly exotic, is it? Children can't be expected to embrace new things if they've had a limited choice of foods from the start. (He wouldn't touch the salad or the garlic bread either: reminded me of that Peter Kay sketch..."Garlic? Bread? Garlic bread? What the 'ell's that about then?")

Jamie's a star (I was nearly cheering whan he snubbed Bill Clinton). And poor Jools - I really felt for her with all that tabloid stuff kicking off. One thing though - how the hell is she so skinny when he does the cooking?

Misdee, ds1 has school dinners and since this programme started I've been making a point of asking him what he had. The other day he said pancake roll and broccoli, another time fish and gravy (?) - I don't think all schools are quite as bad as the ones J.O.'s been in.

I think the one big lie that's being promoted all the time is that over salted over fatty processed food is cheaper than good fresh food. It's a lie. Even if you buy your vegetables in supermarkets (as opposed to street markets, which are really cheap) raw ingredients are much cheaper than ready made foods.

I can't believe that family were spending £200 per week on junk. How is that possible?

Complete respect for JO now-great dad and very true to himself (esp with Clinton) fab person
BUT wish he didnt swear so much, I would love my kids to watch this but theres no way I would let them. DS1 came down to get a book in the middle of it and I had to shoo him out of the kitchen quick.
Perhaps they could repeat it with a bleeped version!

He was better in the Primary School though, miggy.

Oh, I know - I just love him, I think he's great - I'd stick up for him anyway

I haven't read what everyone else has said yet about last nights programme so forgive me if I repeat myself.

Since I slated JO last week I thought I'd better come on and say that last night's programme was much more promising and JO did not annoy me at all last night. I felt sorry for him. He ended up doing a really great job with that Primary Year 6 class and his innovation and persistence were great to see.

I was almost in tears hearing about the poor children who don't pooh for 6 weeks and seeing how many chocolate bars that little girl had in her lunch box, and the fact that children couldn't name common vegetables.

I have never seen a turkey twizzler before and each time I saw it I wanted to vomit. I couldn't tell whether I was seeing it in is cooked or pre-cooked state. What a weird colour it had.

On the other JO post, someone says that she wishes the dinner ladies would stop going on about how important it is that these children have some food in them even though it's not nutricious. I agree, and personally don't think that pumping kids full of crap food is better than no food... well, almost. Surely it would be better for them to eat (low sugar,low salt) beans on granary toast than a processed meal.

It is evident that this problem is huge. The government have to do something BIG and NOW. But of course they won't, as that means hitting the food manufacturers and they don't like to upset the food manufacturers. Perhaps we mums should start protesting outside of supermarkets and demand they don't sell crap food marketed towards children.

I hope my daughter is never faced with a turkey twizzler or anything shaped in a childlike manner. She will grow into an adult one day and so should be expected to eat adult food.

Just one axe to grind though. Jamie insinuated that this was a crusade against state schools and said he wasn't doing it for his own children who would obviously go to a private school.

Hmmm Jamie - you ought to realise that Independent schools outsource their catering to the same crappy companies that state schools do. Whilst the amount spent on ingredients may be more plentiful, the company is out to make a profit and the quality of food served is still pretty poor.

At the Independent school where I worked, the management finally changed to better contractors but only after pressure from the teaching staff who were sick of a crappy lunch selection. The kids and parents didn't seem to give a sh*t.

my ds 10 would love to watch this and we would love him to see it too but he goes to bed at 9 yet before this there is a programme about looking 10 yrs younger and fame academy which he can see but will learn nothing from!I love JO and think he's doing a great job but poor wife!

`a star? I really hope this campaign stirs it up - I'm sure most parents don't know what is served in school dinners. At least there were nutritional guidelines when I was at school - so you didn't get such crap.

Top banana for snubbing Bill Clinton - we were cheering in my house.

Is it just me but how can a parent serve food to their darlings and not taste it or take an interest in what is being served and not give a sh*t? Couldn't believe the parents looking at the ceiling when JO was talking about nutrition at school.

Didn't like the bit when he stated his dd's wouldn't be going to state school's - got my shackles up a bit. - bit of a Marie Antoinette moment.

To be fair - asparagus is a bit expensive and has a very short season - so wasn't surprised they didn't know what it was - but shocked about the lack of knowledge of 'common' veg.

The most shocking think for me was to hear about the constipation clinics for kids - and some don't pooh for 6 weeks - ffs what kind of country do we live in that this is acceptable.

Poor Jools - thought the programme was infringing a bit of her privacy.

I so agree with everyone here, it makes me want to cry. Didn't see this but have taped it.

I do like JO and I think what he is trying to do is great and much needed but I think he might be being just a teensy bit not in the real world and a little bit of a spoilt prince at times - how many people do you know that eat asparagus on a regular basis - it's hard enough getting kids to eat veg anyway. Not everyone had/has the same advantages as he did growing up - his folks run a great pub/restaurant (I've actually been there) so of couse he knows about food. It's not just about educating the kids, if they eat crap at home it's no wonder they won't try anything else. I like to think I'm doing a good job with dd and try not to feed her too much crap and I'm lucky that she likes her fruit and veg but as dh pointed out, when she is of an age to make up her own mind and not just eat what I put in front of her, it could all change. Let's just hope that she remembers what we've tried to teach her about food and that when she gets to school the dinners are better and that JO has managed to make a difference and the Govt has stumped up the necessary cash!
I felt so sorry for Jules - very long suffering! and Nora is brilliant!.

I thought the scene with Jools was very moving. If it makes one person who buys tabloid crap for the celebrity gossip realise that there are real people with real feelings behind the headlines and stop buying them, then that will also have been a job well done imo.

hotmamma - I don't think JO was having a Marie Antoinette moment. He doesn't want any kids to 'eat cake' as it were, that's why he's doing what he's doing.

I think he was making the point that he can protect his own kids from such junk food, but he really wants to help others.

I was aghast when I saw some of the stuff in this programme - had to drag dh from the computer and make him watch it too.

Iota - the MA reference relates to JO not really living in the real world to some extent - hence the asparagus reference - I thought it was just a bit crass for him to say that his dds won't be going to state schools.

However, still think he is a star for caring sooooo much about the school dinner issue.

Marthamoo it said that they had pasta with the chicken and salad so you can relax about the carbs. I sometimes think I am sheltered from the real world because once again I was shocked by those turkey twizzlers (sp?) - how bizarre are they?

Also agree with whoever said they would die of shame if their kid said on national tv that they had had a pot noodle for dinner. don't think either of my two know what a pot noodle is (well DD at 9 months would have to be a child genius ). One thing I do is always get DS to help me unpack the shopping (normally buy online) so that means he gets to see the fruit and veg in its original state.

But I think a lot of the problem is with our generation not knowing how to cook. I'm a reasonable cook, nothing fancy just nutritious family meals but several of my friends (and we are talking degree educated middle class types here) think I am brilliant because I can make an apple crumble or a quiche for example.

I'm with Nikkichik on this one. Did not see it last week, but I found him bloody irritating last night. Agree that what he is doing is good work, but the way he was almost assuming that he was on a moral crusade and that 'he' had made the children eat chicken and salad (what were the other cooks doing at the time?) really got on my nerves.

Agree, also, that it is not only about money. As someone said earlier, it would be cheaper to do a jacket and beans than buy those nasty twizzler thingys.

Marslady, know what you mean about 1 parent family and being raised to actually cook stuff - my mum was (and still is) exactly the same and so am I.