Jamie Oliver

[hayz_baby]

He has been in the news recently with 2 points 1. The poorest families spend a lot of money on food that is essentially junk, but will splash out on a widescreen tv.
2. That British workers and whinge about working a lot of hours where as European workers will work all these hours.

He comes across (and for a lot of things) like a know it all and a finger pointer telling us how to live our lives. You could argue its easy for him with all this money, that he might even have an unrealistic view on the world. I do tend to agree with him though. I know there are plenty of people who will spend all their money on crap and struggle with the essentials. There is a link between obesity and wealth (or lack)
I also agree with his point on workers. He talks about working over 60 hour weeks and have had 23yo get their mum to ring in sick or them coz they are tired. But I also think its because in this country we do value the work/life balance. I remember another poster talk about comparisons of living here compared to the us and said that the work life balance is better and we as a country want time off. Working in a restaurant tho as a chef or whatever is long hours. I wouldn't do it. I never applied for jobs like that coz I don't want to work those sort of hours. My bro on the other hand was once a kitchen manager, working all the hours under the sun and eventually quit as he said he's "21 and had no life" but now he bums around. I guess if you go down that sort of work u need to accept the hours, but then again it's important for your own time/family time.

 

[tinkerbelle93]

I do kind of see his point that SOME families on low-income have good TV's and bad food, although a lot of the time this is not the case. I do think even on a low income you can eat healthy food, it just may mean more effort with having to cook from scratch etc. but I do think sometimes it's down to a lack of education and people not realising just how important good diet is.

I wouldn't want myself or OH working 60 hour shifts though! My OH currently does 45 hours a week and we only have Sunday to spend together as a family. What would be the point in working all the hours under the sun and not be able to enjoy the benefits of it?
When I was pregnant me and my OH worked 7-day weeks for months (we're young, had a surprise pregnancy and were terrified because we didn't have savings) and it was awful. The summer that I was pregnant with Oliver was really hot but I have literally no memories from it at all because me and my OH were at work all the time and never got to enjoy the weather or do anything. It's really sad! I really value the work-life balance we have now- it's just right. xx

 

[Pearls18]

As much as it is a sweeping statement and you could never generalise about a whole age group, or nation etc I do understand what he is saying about migrant workers, I just have a hard time to imagine if immigration was banned tomorrow enough british people being willing to take up the work. I do think generally young people today are much more coddled and have a sense of entitlement compared with people from different eras or countries, by entitlement I don't mean to benefits perse I mean an attitude of not taking any job, thinking they deserve a certain type of job. Of course I am generalising.

 

[sparkle_1979]

He's a bit of a know it all but on some issues he does have a point

 

[dani_tinks]

I think he has a very valid point. Jamie Oliver gets in trouble because he's so blunt with his comments. He is usually right, though!

 

[lhancock90]

I do agree with much of what he says and I think Skint really backed some of it up. A girl on that show had no money for baby milk but they had a massive flat screen. I,ve seen a few shows where families splash out on takeaways etc and rarely cook proper meals at home.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

I do agree with him.

We had someone, an acquaintance, the other day complaining how she had no money, not even enough to buy a loaf of bread to feed her 5 year old. I ended up giving them some home cooked frozen meals.

Then I found out that she gets £1400 a month in benefits, yet doesn't have to pay rent etc. Has all the gadgets etc. plus pets.

Doesn't / won't cook - just buys takeaways, then wonders why her child is overweight.

I have also worked in restaurants, its hard. My current job now can have long hours. A lot of people can't believe that i a) work when i could get benefits and b) work longer than I am contracted to.

I even see it in young kids - why should they do odd jobs to get pocket money???

I fear for society as we get older.

 

[Foogirl]

I think it's very easy for someone who has it all to judge those who don't. Easier still to buy in to the caricature of a family scraping on benefits watching a widescreen telly.

I also think its irritating he says we have a workshy culture when the majority of people work hard.

He seems to totally miss the irony of saying people should work a 12 hour shift 6 days a week but should all eat home cooked meals from scratch. Like someone on a shift pattern of 8-2 then 5-11 has the time to do all that. Of course much easier when you have mummy or wifey at home to cook for you. Maybe as a TV chef if he was to do a series about how to cook with frozen veg and cheap meat, rather than fresh fennel and venison, people would be more willing to try his recipes. His 30 minute recipes were a farce, and virtually impossible to do in that time without a team of kitchen staff.

But the biggest hypocrisy is a bloke who could stand to lose a kilo or two telling us how to eat healthily.

 

[dani_tinks]

I thought his 30 min recipe book was great - took longer to prep but they're definitely doable under an hour.

 

[hayz_baby]

I think it's very easy for someone who has it all to judge those who don't. Easier still to buy in to the caricature of a family scraping on benefits watching a widescreen telly.

I also think its irritating he says we have a workshy culture when the majority of people work hard.

He seems to totally miss the irony of saying people should work a 12 hour shift 6 days a week but should all eat home cooked meals from scratch. Like someone on a shift pattern of 8-2 then 5-11 has the time to do all that. Of course much easier when you have mummy or wifey at home to cook for you. Maybe as a TV chef if he was to do a series about how to cook with frozen veg and cheap meat, rather than fresh fennel and venison, people would be more willing to try his recipes. His 30 minute recipes were a farce, and virtually impossible to do in that time without a team of kitchen staff.

But the biggest hypocrisy is a bloke who could stand to lose a kilo or two telling us how to eat healthily.

You did raise some good points, it is easy to look down when ur sitting on your high horse for certain. I may not do 60 he weeks of work (i work ft) but I certainly work hard. I feel i deserve the time off, work isn't the b all and end all. I don't work for charity and I do a fair share of extra work but I won't work all the hours under the sun. In my previous job, when something went wrong te company was very much like we need as much help as possible, and asked for extra help. I did.i had even handed in my notice and still willing to help. Because it was a crappy situation, I wanted to help the team and I am the sort of person to give it my all at work. It was noticed and I was thanked for helping. At the same time I never looked into working in places like pubs, I knew what the hours would b and knew it wouldn't b something I want to do. If u go to work in a pub they tell you what's expected and hours upfront, if u don't like it you shouldn't go for it just my opinion. Lol
He can get people's backs up when he goes on about how people should live their lives, then again when he changed school meals that turned out for the better? (Not entirely but as a country we are certainly more aware) at the time per meal was less then prisoners.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

I think it's very easy for someone who has it all to judge those who don't. Easier still to buy in to the caricature of a family scraping on benefits watching a widescreen telly.

I also think its irritating he says we have a workshy culture when the majority of people work hard.

He seems to totally miss the irony of saying people should work a 12 hour shift 6 days a week but should all eat home cooked meals from scratch. Like someone on a shift pattern of 8-2 then 5-11 has the time to do all that. Of course much easier when you have mummy or wifey at home to cook for you. Maybe as a TV chef if he was to do a series about how to cook with frozen veg and cheap meat, rather than fresh fennel and venison, people would be more willing to try his recipes. His 30 minute recipes were a farce, and virtually impossible to do in that time without a team of kitchen staff.

But the biggest hypocrisy is a bloke who could stand to lose a kilo or two telling us how to eat healthily.

I work full time and sometimes the hours can be long. We still try to have home made whenever possible though. on a weekend i may cook up some meals, then portion and freeze. we have an extra freezer which we got from freecycle and are able to hold a few meals.

i know some people who are SAHMs (again a FT job) but dont cook, i dont think they know how to, and everything is ready meals.

If people just bought from local markets things would be cheaper too.

 

[Pearls18]

I think it's very easy for someone who has it all to judge those who don't. Easier still to buy in to the caricature of a family scraping on benefits watching a widescreen telly.

I also think its irritating he says we have a workshy culture when the majority of people work hard.

He seems to totally miss the irony of saying people should work a 12 hour shift 6 days a week but should all eat home cooked meals from scratch. Like someone on a shift pattern of 8-2 then 5-11 has the time to do all that. Of course much easier when you have mummy or wifey at home to cook for you. Maybe as a TV chef if he was to do a series about how to cook with frozen veg and cheap meat, rather than fresh fennel and venison, people would be more willing to try his recipes. His 30 minute recipes were a farce, and virtually impossible to do in that time without a team of kitchen staff.

But the biggest hypocrisy is a bloke who could stand to lose a kilo or two telling us how to eat healthily.

Foo girl you are so frustrating in these threads, I have an opinion on something then you will sometimes have the complete opposite opinion but you always write in such a clear, persuasive and well informed way you make me completely doubt myself. Damn you

 

[Abigailly]

I think it's very easy for someone who has it all to judge those who don't. Easier still to buy in to the caricature of a family scraping on benefits watching a widescreen telly.

I also think its irritating he says we have a workshy culture when the majority of people work hard.

He seems to totally miss the irony of saying people should work a 12 hour shift 6 days a week but should all eat home cooked meals from scratch. Like someone on a shift pattern of 8-2 then 5-11 has the time to do all that. Of course much easier when you have mummy or wifey at home to cook for you. Maybe as a TV chef if he was to do a series about how to cook with frozen veg and cheap meat, rather than fresh fennel and venison, people would be more willing to try his recipes. His 30 minute recipes were a farce, and virtually impossible to do in that time without a team of kitchen staff.

But the biggest hypocrisy is a bloke who could stand to lose a kilo or two telling us how to eat healthily.

I actually really enjoy his 30 minute meals. And his 15 minute ones. I find all of them can easily be done in the time frame.

And as for your last comment, I think that's horrific. He has every right to be telling people how to eat healthily. He's a man who has campaigned and researched for years on the subject. He's not some novice. And as for a dig at his weight, just because someone isn't necessarily in ship shape doesn't mean they don't eat healthily Being thin and healthy are 2 completely different things.

I'm not a huge fan of the man though. I think he can be incredibly patronising and when I met him he was really quite rude.

However what he did for school meals (whether you like it or not he was a big influence on the change of the recommendations within schools) was fairly inspiring.

 

[AP]

I think it's very easy for someone who has it all to judge those who don't. Easier still to buy in to the caricature of a family scraping on benefits watching a widescreen telly.

I also think its irritating he says we have a workshy culture when the majority of people work hard.

He seems to totally miss the irony of saying people should work a 12 hour shift 6 days a week but should all eat home cooked meals from scratch. Like someone on a shift pattern of 8-2 then 5-11 has the time to do all that. Of course much easier when you have mummy or wifey at home to cook for you. Maybe as a TV chef if he was to do a series about how to cook with frozen veg and cheap meat, rather than fresh fennel and venison, people would be more willing to try his recipes. His 30 minute recipes were a farce, and virtually impossible to do in that time without a team of kitchen staff.

But the biggest hypocrisy is a bloke who could stand to lose a kilo or two telling us how to eat healthily.

Sorry Foo but I think you made a really fair point there. Call me a cow but it makes sense

Foo girl you are so frustrating in these threads, I have an opinion on something then you will sometimes have the complete opposite opinion but you always write in such a clear, persuasive and well informed way you make me completely doubt myself. Damn you

So true!

In all honestey i cant say much because I am utterly hopeless when it comes to food so I am thankful for DH

 

[Foogirl]

I work full time and often cook from scratch, of course it can be done. But when I worked split shifts in a restaurant, as well as studying full time, if it hadn't been for my microwave and jacket potatoes, I'd have starved. In that instance shopping for food and cooking would have taken up any spare time I had. In those days (I'm so old) there wasn't the same choice in ready meals but I certainly didn't have a healthy diet.

And sorry Marinewag. You realise I do it just to piss you off? Nah, I just say what I see.

I do agree he did good stuff initially with the school meals. But the queue of kids outside My local Greggs and the chippy at lunch time show it's had limited success. I suppose that's to be expected when despite what the programme appeared to show, he only got Blair to re-commit to a chunk of additional money for school meals that had already been pledged.

Two further wee points. "Horrific" were the scenes from Syria on the news. And no-one got fat from eating salad....

 

[Mummy Bean]

but its not as if our culture teaches any better. Currently we live in country where even the poorest can get loans or buy now pay weekly(at insane APR%) to buy all these luxuary gadets that they see all there celebrity idols using.

Takeaways and ready meals are so readily available to us - and is just another demand in our fast pace world where we want everything yesterday.

Only in very recent years have we started to campaign on the importance of health - and if wasnt for people like Jaime Oliver our kids would still be eating Pizza and Chips with a side order of sugar.

I think our education system really needs to focus more on life skills - on budgeting/finance, healthy living, and sports programs - it is easy to see the end result but what got us there in the first place?

I mean taking that program skint as example what did those people have to strive for - whats the point in an education when there are no jobs, then with no education how are they to know the importance of healthly eating and what enjoyment do they get from life - buying a big tv seems about it.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

but its not as if our culture teaches any better. Currently we live in country where even the poorest can get loans or buy now pay weekly(at insane APR%) to buy all these luxuary gadets that they see all there celebrity idols using.

Takeaways and ready meals are so readily available to us - and is just another demand in our fast pace world where we want everything yesterday.

Only in very recent years have we started to campaign on the importance of health - and if wasnt for people like Jaime Oliver our kids would still be eating Pizza and Chips with a side order of sugar.

I think our education system really needs to focus more on life skills - on budgeting/finance, healthy living, and sports programs - it is easy to see the end result but what got us there in the first place?

I mean taking that program skint as example what did those people have to strive for - whats the point in an education when there are no jobs, then with no education how are they to know the importance of healthly eating and what enjoyment do they get from life - buying a big tv seems about it.

True. I had a friends kid watch my make some freezer meals for us and the baby. She was genuinely surprised you could make your own baby food and lasagne's etc.

they didnt do any good removing home ec from the curriculum.

 

[Foogirl]

Home ec should be back on the curriculum, but I do get concerned about the amount of things more and more we expect schools to teach our children. We want them to teach social skills, cooking, healthy living etc but then complain when academic exam results are poor. They only get our kids 6 hours a day.

Much of that should be taught at home. And if there are parents who don't know that you can cook, or how to do it, maybe if we stop flooding TV and magazines with celebrities and attention seeking eejits on reality TV, and try having a lot more programmes about how to do these things, they could learn. More outreach type programmes to those areas where these things are taught, heck lets make it a prerequisite that in order to pick up your unemployment benefit you attend a certain number of lifestyle courses. Sure not everyone who is unemployed needs them but if I were unemployed, I'd be happy enough to go along to something like that to share my knowledge too. We just need to think of more creative ways to get this information across rather than dry government programmes and pushing the responsibility on to over stretched schools then more people will learn.

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Home ec should be back on the curriculum, but I do get concerned about the amount of things more and more we expect schools to teach our children. We want them to teach social skills, cooking, healthy living etc but then complain when academic exam results are poor. They only get our kids 6 hours a day.

Much of that should be taught at home. And if there are parents who don't know that you can cook, or how to do it, maybe if we stop flooding TV and magazines with celebrities and attention seeking eejits on reality TV, and try having a lot more programmes about how to do these things, they could learn. More outreach type programmes to those areas where these things are taught, heck lets make it a prerequisite that in order to pick up your unemployment benefit you attend a certain number of lifestyle courses. Sure not everyone who is unemployed needs them but if I were unemployed, I'd be happy enough to go along to something like that to share my knowledge too. We just need to think of more creative ways to get this information across rather than dry government programmes and pushing the responsibility on to over stretched schools then more people will learn.

Completely agree but somewhere along the way we seem to have become so used to ready meals that parents don't know how to cook. I learnt my cooking from my mum (a chef) - well basics as she's a tough teacher! As I got older I experimented more and now love cooking my own meals. I am looking forward to teaching Emilia BUT so many people these days just don't know how to cook, or 'cooking' is bunging some prepackaged meal in the oven.

I am all for convenience and do sometimes have ready meals, but i find cooking relaxing.

but yes, too many parents expect schools to teach everything and forget that its not the schools job.

 

[Foogirl]

I agree, that's why I went on to explain what we could do about that.