Mr Oliver is at it again!

[BrideXIII]

well i don't have too much patience with people on benefits that moan about how they can't afford to feed their family properly.
there are plenty of us out here on benefits, through no fault of our own, who DO manage very well on what we get, and I buy fresh meat, free range,or make fresh pasta and buy fresh fruit and vegetables every day , I cook from scratch nine times out of ten, and a takeaway is a treat once every couple of months.
I grow what I can to supplement it, but even before I started that, It was still cheaper to buy fresh locally.
Oh and I DO drink, and smoke, but I don't drive, am not in debt to anyone, and pay all my bills on time.

[SueA]

I'm not usually a big Jamie fan, although I do like the look of a lot of his cooking, but I do feel sorry for him in this programme, he looks like he's banging his head against a brick wall. Although he's teaching people to cook not all the recipes look particularly 'healthy' to me, a lot seem to involve lots of oil, fat butter, cheese etc. but no doubt they're healthier than what most of the participants live off normally. I think the town seems torn between those who want to say 'I've been taught to cook by Jamie Oliver' & those who think 'Who does this middle class twit think he is?'. I did think it was quite funny when the football crowd all started singing the chant 'Who ate all the pies' to him, he is a bit on the chubby side!

[Marthaclematis]

I think he's doing a great job - a job that the Government, to their great shame (via the Education Authorities) let slip years ago and we are now seeing the results. Its appaling that children come out of school not knowing what a carrot is, or what a banana tastes like, and its all because THEIR parents were lost to a proper education in 'home economics' (as it was called in my school). Mmmmm... then again my elder sister feeds her family a bad diet - too much convenience food for my liking, and she went to school and our mum was a great 'cook from scratch' kinda lady, so you never can tell. Anyway I do think we need a real overhaul in our schools to pull young people back into the ways of the kitchen and break this awfull cycle. I wouldn't say all those parents are bad, some of them are truly ignorant and ill educated and getting them on board is truly a struggle. We fostered a little boy a couple of years ago who would not eat anything we gave him, he lived on Greggs sausage rolls and takeaway chicken, - his mother was on benefits but would insist taking him to MacD's when she took him out - she spent a lot of her money on him and it was all bad stuff (oh the battles we had...). We really tried with her (as did Soc.Serv) and she just couldn't take it in poor thing - and she lost her son in the end. So; good luck to Jamie O for trying with these sad people. If he saves just one family, or turns one child around I think he'll have done a great job.

[SlugLobber]

If he saves just one family, or turns one child around I think he'll have done a great job.

How very true!

[bluemoon]

well i don't have too much patience with people on benefits that moan about how they can't afford to feed their family properly.
there are plenty of us out here on benefits, through no fault of our own, who DO manage very well on what we get, and I buy fresh meat, free range,or make fresh pasta and buy fresh fruit and vegetables every day , I cook from scratch nine times out of ten, and a takeaway is a treat once every couple of months.
I grow what I can to supplement it, but even before I started that, It was still cheaper to buy fresh locally.
Oh and I DO drink, and smoke, but I don't drive, am not in debt to anyone, and pay all my bills on time.

Bride, you're exactly the sort of committed person who could, in larger numbers, have made the scheme work. They were also noticeable in that their kids were clean, well dressed and attended school, their homes were neat and that the families did other things than sit in front of the telly. We were on benefits at the time too, which is how I got involved, I was also quite angry that the media at the time were very anti those on benefits, even though there was a massive recession. Having spent several months with those who simply didn't care about their families though, I began to understand the stereotype. A family from nearby actually appeared on TV moaning about how impossible it was to manage yet, as far as I'm aware, were doing nothing to help themselves. I'm sorry if I caused you offence, it certainly wasn't meant, and it isn't always those on benefits who are guilty of this take-away culture either, my mum told me recently of a programme she had watched where the family were very affluent, yet they ate only microwaved ready-meals. And I once worked at a private school where the boys were asked to bring in a cheese grater in order to grate up lemons for an experiment. Half of them brought them with the price labels still attached as their kitchens didn't contain anything like that, and a couple even threw them in the bin afterwards because it was pointless taking them home. The difference of course is that these people can afford to live like this, even if it is wrong, and what we have been talking about is those who do not have huge disposable incomes, but who still insist upon spending their limited money on rubbish then complaining that they can't afford to eat properly. Again, I apologize if I caused you, or anyone else, offence.

[BrideXIII]

Bride, you're exactly the sort of committed person who could, in larger numbers, have made the scheme work. They were also noticeable in that their kids were clean, well dressed and attended school, their homes were neat and that the families did other things than sit in front of the telly. We were on benefits at the time too, which is how I got involved, I was also quite angry that the media at the time were very anti those on benefits, even though there was a massive recession. Having spent several months with those who simply didn't care about their families though, I began to understand the stereotype. A family from nearby actually appeared on TV moaning about how impossible it was to manage yet, as far as I'm aware, were doing nothing to help themselves. I'm sorry if I caused you offence, it certainly wasn't meant, and it isn't always those on benefits who are guilty of this take-away culture either, my mum told me recently of a programme she had watched where the family were very affluent, yet they ate only microwaved ready-meals. And I once worked at a private school where the boys were asked to bring in a cheese grater in order to grate up lemons for an experiment. Half of them brought them with the price labels still attached as their kitchens didn't contain anything like that, and a couple even threw them in the bin afterwards because it was pointless taking them home. The difference of course is that these people can afford to live like this, even if it is wrong, and what we have been talking about is those who do not have huge disposable incomes, but who still insist upon spending their limited money on rubbish then complaining that they can't afford to eat properly. Again, I apologize if I caused you, or anyone else, offence.

no offence taken, I am past all that, half my family don't approve, but I have two kids doing very well in school, both earmarked for early entry to uni ( and thats the local comp), never been in trouble with the police, and not latchkey kids either, a stereotype is just that, I have never fitted into a mould as long as I have lived

[Marthaclematis]

I agree. If my fostered son's mum had won the lottery she would not have changed her ways; its not about money, its about education and motivation. And that comes from ones early experience at home and in school. I work with a 28year old and her diet is awfull, she is heading for obesity and diabetes and Lord knows what. And she came from a middle class household. I don't think her mother cooked much tho'.

[bluemoon]

This is so true, Martha, and a lot of the problem can be laid at the door of advertising. If people are told night after night that crispy pancakes and potato waffles are a normal, healthy diet then they're going to start believing it. I'm the first to admit that when my children were little there was always a box of fish-fingers in the freezer, but they were for emergencies, such as when various activities clashed and we were forced to eat at different times, but that was a rarity. That's something else too, families today don't seem to eat together. Either fast-food is microwaved at different times, or they eat in front of the telly in their various rooms. We always tried to come together for a meal, at least then it was possible to make something decent and I could also supervise what they were eating - no leaving of vegetables allowed.......I was such a mean mum! But at least now they've flown the nest they all eat responsibly and a take-away or a ready-meal is a treat or a rare necessity for them, I don't know how anyone who has grown-up as a fully paid-up member of the Birds-eye generation can hope to understand how a healthy diet works.

[jackie j]

We eat healthy food freesh veg etc. At my daughters school in her first term all she cooked was soup every week its about time schools brought back proper cookery lessons every week like we had not for just one term. she wont do any cooking now untill after christmas and the last time she did any was before last christmas. If kids dont learn at school some dont learn at all. I am not a very good cook but I dont buy takeaways only very occasionally for special reasons like next saturday for my son's 21st we will be having chinese. All meals in my house are cooked from scratch.

[bluemoon]

When I was at school all we learned was egg on toast, cheese on toast, beans on toast..... this was because the education system had decided that boys should do cooking along with the girls, and girls should do woodwork along with the boys, and it was deemed by our school that all cookery lessons should henceforth be aimed at boys who might one day have to fend for themselves if there wasn't a handy female around, which was just completely stupid. I learned from my mum, who was a good cook, and also from both my Grandmothers. I'm not brilliant in the kitchen, but my OH is, and he attended the same school, he had to learn from his mum and gran too.

[squashysu]

hear hear!!!!!

I totally agree, he gets people excited about food and that comes from a real non-foodie (me) i looove his show and i like him, if he can make a change to the way kids eat then thats great in my eyes

[sharonr]

I found the most annoying part was at the end of the first episode when one of the women was crying saying she couldn`t afford to buy all the food whilst SMOKING A FAG!!!! I`m not a violent person but I wanted to smack her one to knock some scence into her. What is more important smoking or feeding your child healthy and homecooked food.

[MrsC]

What made me angry about this programme is the fact that Jamie Oliver (who I am not knocking as a chef) put together a programme that stereotyped people, ie - 'people on low wages/benefits' can't/don't want to/haven't the time/the brain cells etc cook. He chose the people well IMHO when screening the applicants for this programme and gave a view that Rotherham can't cook for whatever reason. Ministry of Food was set up during the war when rations were on, as you know. Very little was available and people made do in allsorts of ways apart from food on the table. It's just the way he comes across, you can't expect to do this sort of programme in the 'Ministry of Food' style and then film in on cans of beers littering the back doorstep and expect to have the same sort of support from viewers eg - 'lets all stick together and make a difference.' He then comments about his weekend he's given up from his family, but eh, swings and roundabouts, you're that successful and earn a hell of a lot of money but it doesn't come without a price does it. My feelings on this anyway.

[piskieinboots]

He is, currently, still funding this project out of his own pocket - so giving up his family weekend is a big deal, he isn't being paid to do this. Sure, he may sell some books on the back of it - I truly hope he does!

As for this programme stereotyping people of Rotherham [insert any UK city of your choice] there are people out there like those shown who don't cook [for don't cook read can't be bothered] and blame it on no money - thankfully that excuse doesn't hold up here because, as gardeners, we all know how to make the best of the cheapest of produce.

[MrsC]

As for this programme stereotyping people of Rotherham [insert any UK city of your choice] there are people out there like those shown who don't cook [for don't cook read can't be bothered] and blame it on no money - thankfully that excuse doesn't hold up here because, as gardeners, we all know how to make the best of the cheapest of produce.

Yes, we could insert any city or town, he chose Rotherham, it doesn't matter what place he chose. It's not an excuse to be held up on here, I know people on here know what to do with what they grow.