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Jamie Oliver queries modern poverty

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

PS Don't shoot me - I am only quoting from today's press.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Maybe he should lower his restaurant prices then so that hard-up families can eat there?

Doesn't he have a big range of ready meals with his name on it for Sainsburys?

It must be nice for him to be able to pass judgement looking down from his big pile of money.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"Maybe he should lower his restaurant prices then so that hard-up families can eat there?

Doesn't he have a big range of ready meals with his name on it for Sainsburys?

It must be nice for him to be able to pass judgement looking down from his big pile of money.

"
Apparently he HAD a contract with Sainsbury for 11 years but not now. He is also said to be quite wealthy -forgot how wealthy precisely.

I am just curious what people think about his statement on poverty - essentially he is saying people should buy fresh food and cook from scratch?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

What a knob. He bleats about cheap food making kids obese then bleats about people buyer dearer food. Sure none of his recipes im his countless books are affordable to the ones he's Moaning about.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Maybe he should lower his restaurant prices then so that hard-up families can eat there?

Doesn't he have a big range of ready meals with his name on it for Sainsburys?

It must be nice for him to be able to pass judgement looking down from his big pile of money.

Apparently he HAD a contract with Sainsbury for 11 years but not now. He is also said to be quite wealthy -forgot how wealthy precisely.

I am just curious what people think about his statement on poverty - essentially he is saying people should buy fresh food and cook from scratch? "

I agree and always say this when this comes up, ready meals are expensive rubbish. Cooking from scratch is not expensive and far more healthy but people just don't know how to.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"What a knob. He bleats about cheap food making kids obese then bleats about people buyer dearer food. Sure none of his recipes im his countless books are affordable to the ones he's Moaning about. "
I dont know whether he is a knob or not lol... I am just wondering what people think about the idea of having a lower food bill and cooking from scratch?

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By *istress-MazikeenWoman over a year ago

bolton

It is something that has been said in the past, how people in poverty will still go to Mcdonalds, which costs more than cooking a meal at home.

Sausages, veg and pots does not cost that much, compared to take away or ready meals.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Moving to one side the processed food is bad for you arguments and looking at this from a financial perspective, I wonder if there is a vast difference in price?

I need, take something like a lasagne. I wonder if you could buy all the ingredients to make a family sized lasagna from scratch for under the £5 it costs for a huge tray of the stuff ready made?

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"Maybe he should lower his restaurant prices then so that hard-up families can eat there?

Doesn't he have a big range of ready meals with his name on it for Sainsburys?

It must be nice for him to be able to pass judgement looking down from his big pile of money.

Apparently he HAD a contract with Sainsbury for 11 years but not now. He is also said to be quite wealthy -forgot how wealthy precisely.

I am just curious what people think about his statement on poverty - essentially he is saying people should buy fresh food and cook from scratch?

I agree and always say this when this comes up, ready meals are expensive rubbish. Cooking from scratch is not expensive and far more healthy but people just don't know how to. "
That is exactly what I meant - and he mentioned something about people in general seem to have lost the ability to cook from scratch. I remember my mum cooking everything from scratch and we never had ready meals. I think we were healthier for it, too.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"Moving to one side the processed food is bad for you arguments and looking at this from a financial perspective, I wonder if there is a vast difference in price?

I need, take something like a lasagne. I wonder if you could buy all the ingredients to make a family sized lasagna from scratch for under the £5 it costs for a huge tray of the stuff ready made?"
I take your point here... if I were to make a Lasagne I could do so for £5 but it would not be made from the best organic ingredients at that price. The advantage of making it myself would not be in the price as much as it would be in the freshness of produce and (hopefully) better quality of the end product.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I think he's bang on, fresh food cooked from scratch is always going to be better and cheaper per meal than ready meals, some people just don't know how to cook which is a shame and maybe a reflection on today's society.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

Because I sometimes think he seem to forget having an oven on for few hours slow roasting a cheap cut of meat can rack up quite a large energy bill compared to blasting a ready meal in the microwave for a couple of minutes…

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

The problem is the supermarkets. I cook fresh from scratch as I enjoy cooking but can see why people in a budget will buy crap processed stuff.

Its not just the price if fresh veg and meat but basics such as herbs and spices. I notice its always 3 fir a fiver on ready meals half price pizzas and sweets. Half price chicken dippers.

You never see similar deals on stuff like flour, spices, sauces nuts etc. I can see why people stretching money will opt for the bogofs as stocking up on good ingredients takes away half the budget before you have even bought the meat n two veg

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

He"ll most likely direct you towards his 30 minute meal recipe. To be fair, his prawn linguine suggestion is pretty straightforward, though I've not gone beyond that.

Cost is relative and i imagine poor families (or even not so poor), particularly when both parents are working or otherwise have limited time and single parent families aren't always able to cook from scratch on a regular basis.

Perhaps a happy medium could be reached between fresh cooking and convenience heating...

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

"
Really valid point, Soxy - he was also talking about slow cooker which has a usage of around 250W as opposed to conventional cooker of around 800 W .. but then you use the slow cooker for a lot longer.

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By *ucsparkMan over a year ago

dudley

As a family we have always cooked most if not all of our meals. We like to know what we are eating. We grow quite a bit of our own fruit and veg, have our own chickens for eggs and have meat brought up to us that we freeze. It a lot better way of eating but only if you have the time to cook it. I know people that work 12 to 14 hour days and can nearly manage to walk though the door let alone start preparing 30 minute meal

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

Perhaps a happy medium could be reached between fresh cooking and convenience heating..."
I quite agree with you - rather than completely banning ready meals (They have their place for the occasional convenience food!)

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"As a family we have always cooked most if not all of our meals. We like to know what we are eating. We grow quite a bit of our own fruit and veg, have our own chickens for eggs and have meat brought up to us that we freeze. It a lot better way of eating but only if you have the time to cook it. I know people that work 12 to 14 hour days and can nearly manage to walk though the door let alone start preparing 30 minute meal

"
Another good point - sometimes when it is just me at home I am guilty of buying convenient ready meals.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"The problem is the supermarkets. I cook fresh from scratch as I enjoy cooking but can see why people in a budget will buy crap processed stuff.

Its not just the price if fresh veg and meat but basics such as herbs and spices. I notice its always 3 fir a fiver on ready meals half price pizzas and sweets. Half price chicken dippers.

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By *eryBigGirlWoman over a year ago

East Yorkshire

"The problem is the supermarkets. I cook fresh from scratch as I enjoy cooking but can see why people in a budget will buy crap processed stuff.

Its not just the price if fresh veg and meat but basics such as herbs and spices. I notice its always 3 fir a fiver on ready meals half price pizzas and sweets. Half price chicken dippers.

The difference there is that the herbs and spices although maybe an initial outlay will last weeks possibly months where as that half price pizza would be gone in 10 mins!! False economy I'm afraid!!

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

had a couple of friends around the other week for a meal and i went to offer their 2 yr old the same meal as i cooked for us all and my 2 year old ...and got told he only eats prepared toddler food or chicken nuggets and chips ...and if possible could i do him some ...the look of horror i got when i said i dont have chicken nuggets n chips in....he actually said i was depraving my son of the delights of having them ....to which i pointed out he does have them but when he does its all home made ....to which they said you cant make homemade chicken nuggets

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

There are those who don't even know how to boil a potato - which is why there are instructions on bags of potatoes.

But some of the most disadvantaged have poor reading skills and would struggle with that whereas they can manage to decipher how many minutes to microwave something.

There is a swathe of society managing not just on little money but also with minimal skills of the kind that we all take for granted. They are people most of us will never encounter other than in passing and who the media and the government can't comprehend and generally ignore.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"to which i pointed out he does have them but when he does its all home made ....to which they said you cant make homemade chicken nuggets"
Ooops - that is worrying!

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"There are those who don't even know how to boil a potato - which is why there are instructions on bags of potatoes.

But some of the most disadvantaged have poor reading skills and would struggle with that whereas they can manage to decipher how many minutes to microwave something.

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By *eryBigGirlWoman over a year ago

East Yorkshire

I have to say I agree with what Jamie is saying. It is so much cheaper to cook from scratch and so much healthier. I remember being in a KFC for the first and last time some years back and there was a woman doing a survey in the queue and I was amazed when overhearing the conversation with the woman in front of me who proudly declared that she was on benefits but her and her 3 kids ate there every day sometimes dinner and tea!!!!

Now I can't say I know the prices for KFC but I reckon for 4 people it'll be around £20 so that's £140 for a meal each day. That's more than enough to feed a family for a week!!!

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

It's a tricky one. Much of the cooking from scratch assumes you have some of the basics in the store cupboard.

There is a blog by a woman who makes meal portions for as little as 29p. She knows the price of all of her ingredients and which shops has the best price for each one. She is saving money but her approach takes a lot of time.

The recent spate of poverty porn on the television has been interesting but the one I found hardest to swallow was the chefs trying to make cost controlled meals from scratch. They succeeded when they put on the large banquet, scaling up all of the meals and thereby reducing the portion cost. They pretty much failed making meals for one or small families.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

My neighbours don't work and have dominoes delivered at least 5 times a week. How? That's for them and their toddler.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

PS Don't shoot me - I am only quoting from today's press.

Jamie Oliver, and politicians alike, don't think you can comment on poverty unless you're truly dealing with it every single day. Only then will you have a true perspective on it

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook."

Shame its come to that though, to a school teaching cooking being the only cooking kids see. It has its place but gone will be family recipes passed down or foods relevant to family cultures etc. I was never 'taught' cooking, I just saw it day in day out at home and was encouraged to join in and help. Thst just builds confidence that you can cook and so you keep trying/learning. I rarely saw my mother reheat anything other than frozen portions of what she had batch cooked on previous days. Its certainly cheaper to cook from scratch. I manage on a very limited budget and never buy processed for my two children. You just need a good stock cupboard of essentials and lots of fresh vegetables. X]

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

once was making a shepherds pie for kids tea....and a friend was there saying why do you go to the effort of making it from scratch when they cheap enough to buy frozen ...my answer was so i know whats in it ....her reply was so do i ...you just need to read the ingrediants list...

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By *ucsparkMan over a year ago

dudley

"It's a tricky one. Much of the cooking from scratch assumes you have some of the basics in the store cupboard.

That is a very good point, but we always cook large batches and freeze some for easy meals.

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By *ucsparkMan over a year ago

dudley

"had a couple of friends around the other week for a meal and i went to offer their 2 yr old the same meal as i cooked for us all and my 2 year old ...and got told he only eats prepared toddler food or chicken nuggets and chips ...and if possible could i do him some ...the look of horror i got when i said i dont have chicken nuggets n chips in....he actually said i was depraving my son of the delights of having them ....to which i pointed out he does have them but when he does its all home made ....to which they said you cant make homemade chicken nuggets"

Look on the side of the kiddy food it a real eye opener

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"once was making a shepherds pie for kids tea....and a friend was there saying why do you go to the effort of making it from scratch when they cheap enough to buy frozen ...my answer was so i know whats in it ....her reply was so do i ...you just need to read the ingrediants list..."
Ooops - that just about sums things up nicely. Unfortunately, there are so many ingredients in ready made food that for one our body does not recognise as good ingredients, also we do not know what the long term effects are if we live on processed food alone. Good point!

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

self righteous little bum face, he didnt like it when it was pointed out to him a while ago how fat he was looking did he.

Not everyone wants to spend hours stuck in the kitchen when they can buy a meal ready made.

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

Look on the side of the kiddy food it a real eye opener"
Isnt it just!

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"self righteous little bum face, he didnt like it when it was pointed out to him a while ago how fat he was looking did he.

Not everyone wants to spend hours stuck in the kitchen when they can buy a meal ready made."
I can see where you are coming from on this one - as I said earlier, when I am on my own, after a long day sometimes I cannot be bothered cooking from scratch either. I do buy the occasional good quality ready meal.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Maybe he should lower his restaurant prices then so that hard-up families can eat there?

Doesn't he have a big range of ready meals with his name on it for Sainsburys?

It must be nice for him to be able to pass judgement looking down from his big pile of money.

Yeah maybe he should 6.50 for the smallest drink ever!

And i think some use ready meals through lack of cooking skills ,quickness and money.

I get them for my boys when im in work on the eves or they get made up chilli or something from the freezer,its easier for them when im not here to cook.

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

Not everyone has a freezer or sufficient funds to make the initial investment for cooking ingredients (herbs, spices, condiments etc).

Poverty is hand to mouth living, not simply money being a bit tight. For example not all on benefits are living in poverty though some are.

At one point in my life I worked full time for a major high st employer but spent six months with no carpets, cooker, washing machine or fridge. When I did get a cooker I bought it one month and had to wait till my next payday before I could afford to get it connected.

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By *edangel_2013Woman over a year ago

southend

Iceland ready meals £1 a meal. Often on offer, making them even cheaper.

I used to live on this kind of crap, had no idea how to cook. As I grew up every meal I had either involved chips (deep fried in lard) or something that had come out of a microwave. This was standard for myself and a lot of my friends.

When I moved to Southend, my housemates were horrified that I had no basic cooking skills. They set about teaching me how to cook. I can now cook several dishes from scratch including a chicken and chorizo jambalaya, jerk chicken and sticky rice, basic pasta bake, etc. Today I'm attempting a green Thai curry. All of which I cook in bulk, freeze, and microwave with vegetables when I want it.

Not as cheap as £1 a meal, but healthier and no additives. However, in our food cupboards here, we have a whole cupboard dedicated to staple herbs, spices, rices, pasta, sauces which to buy aren't cheap, but do last for a very long time. Back home my mum didn't even use garlic until I was 15 years old!!

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Education is what it's all about!!! when I lived in the West end of Glasgow I shopped at a health and grain store for grains,dried pulses and spices etc. Most of the reguler clientele were from the so called working and middle class and had the knowledge how to cook with these cheap healthy ingredients and the people who complain everything is so expensive etc are up the road buying their Dominoes pizzas,KFC,Macs a six pack of beer and Blockbuster videos and all the ready made meals.Jamie is spot on and this has nothing to do with how much money he is worth, his cook books etc People need to learn how to cook the basics and use good fresh food or cheap food!!! and bugger me dead how much gas or lecky do you really think you use to cook a big pot of casserole ? to many excuses!! as they say on the TV shows GET COOKING!!

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

As an aside, the most expensive lunchtime sandwich I have ever had was from the original Fifteen. £15.75 for a steak sandwich. It was lovely but I did feel guilty.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I welcome people sitting round eating ready meals and processed food all day. When the apocalypse comes there'll be damn good eating on one of them, they'll be easy to catch for us fitter leaner types and we'll know how to make a years worth of tasty meals out of one kill.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

There ready meals and ready meal some are better than others and waitrose have some good ones but cost alot and you could make same thing for a family for the cost of a meal for two most the time .......... now some places do make cheap fast food and when you look alsorts of E numbers and different things in .......... so really its up to people what thay will put in there body end of the day as you can make still home made and cheap and fast .

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Never eat ready meals, I would fire the cook if she ever served me up such a thing

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By *issHottieBottieWoman over a year ago

Kent

"If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook."

I was never taught to cook at school and my mum isn't a great cook either. I've taught myself by buying cookbooks, reading them and following the instructions.

It's not hard to learn how to cook a basic shepherds pie, lasagna, etc. I used to work 70+ hour weeks as well so bulk cooked and frozen. Works out cheaper that way anyway and means I could just grab a portion of bolognaise out the freezer in the morning then best it up with some pasta in the evening. Proper healthy food in ten mins.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Like most of tv chefs he is a knobhead he is just a cook with delusions of grandeur.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

PS Don't shoot me - I am only quoting from today's press.

My mother has 4 boys, to house cloth and feed, she never had much money, but our cupboards were always full, every weekend she made toffee apples, fudge, coconut ice, we had so many friends to play with, she had to shop 2 days a week, using buses, Wednesday it was allentoffs fruit shop, when she joined other mothers from 7am waiting till shop opened, and bought all her fruit and veg cheaply for the week, I have kept some of her shopping lists, all 4 of us had a shopping mission, mine was at the butchers, £pound of the leanest streaky bacon, with no fat"

6 broken eggs, not too broken,

she made stews, always made an apple pie every other day, and yes we ate very well, ready meals were available, but she fed a family of 5 for the price of one ready meal.

I live alone now and have a budget of £25 a week for food and drink, I spend a similar amount on each of my 3 dogs, and on each of my 3 horses.

I only eat raw food, mostly fruit veg and protein from nuts and grain.

nearly all prepared food contains GM starch and irradiated produce, plus artificial sweeteners, more recently, corn syrup and sodium, so people are buying food that will cause problems for their health, skin conditions, cancers of one type or another, mood swings, hyperactivity and lethargy.

But hey it saves time and effort.

Remember, you are what you eat,

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook.

I was never taught to cook at school and my mum isn't a great cook either. I've taught myself by buying cookbooks, reading them and following the instructions.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

forgot im having cabbage salad later, with grated turnip!!!

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By *phrodite OP Woman over a year ago

(She/ her) in Sensualityland

"TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

PS Don't shoot me - I am only quoting from today's press.

6 broken eggs, not too broken,

she made stews, always made an apple pie every other day, and yes we ate very well, ready meals were available, but she fed a family of 5 for the price of one ready meal.

I live alone now and have a budget of £25 a week for food and drink, I spend a similar amount on each of my 3 dogs, and on each of my 3 horses.

I only eat raw food, mostly fruit veg and protein from nuts and grain.

But hey it saves time and effort.

Remember, you are what you eat,

"
Wow, I think if you can live well on 25 per week that is awesome. How long have you followed the raw food diet and what benefits have you achieved? I am genuinely curious.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

forgot im having cabbage salad later, with grated turnip!!!"
I love cabbage I stir fry with apples and onions and do sausages and mash , lol

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

Again, there is a big difference between being skint and living in poverty.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Again, there is a big difference between being skint and living in poverty."
yes your right ... a lot who are really in poverty now go to food banks and we have one in the town .

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By *issHottieBottieWoman over a year ago

Kent

I also pop into my local coop etcher days to check the reduced meat section. Last week they had packs of 2 chicken breasts reduced from £3.30 to 83p!

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Moving to one side the processed food is bad for you arguments and looking at this from a financial perspective, I wonder if there is a vast difference in price?

I need, take something like a lasagne. I wonder if you could buy all the ingredients to make a family sized lasagna from scratch for under the £5 it costs for a huge tray of the stuff ready made?"
for a huge tray of offal,water and gm starch £5 isn't that cheap. if you made and ate half the amount using fresh ingredients,it would still cost £5, but it would be healthy, more nutritious and not contain hidden nasties.

as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals.

like everything its about choice, I know people who make millions from making ready meals, wont be eating them.thats how they get rich, everything comes back to education.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

got some neighbours that rely on the food banks to feed them and their 4 children ....but what really annoys me is they can afford their booze and drugs but then claim poverty when it comes to food ...

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By *lackshadow7Man over a year ago

Toronto

LOL at teaching cooking in schools. Just LOL!

Like most who can cook, you learn that from parents, extended family, elders. That's the whole point of the old "family recipe" that got passed down through generations.

When i was growing up, i got hauled into the kitchen with my sisters and had to learn how to cook meals. My dad always said "you wouldn't want to end up marrying a woman who can't cook an living off fish and chips every day."

When i was younger, the thought of that scared the crap out of me.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals."

Just out of curiosity how much of that 40p would you estimate is energy cost?... i.e. the price of gas or electric used to bake it?

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By *issHottieBottieWoman over a year ago

Kent

"Moving to one side the processed food is bad for you arguments and looking at this from a financial perspective, I wonder if there is a vast difference in price?

I need, take something like a lasagne. I wonder if you could buy all the ingredients to make a family sized lasagna from scratch for under the £5 it costs for a huge tray of the stuff ready made?for a huge tray of offal,water and gm starch £5 isn't that cheap. if you made and ate half the amount using fresh ingredients,it would still cost £5, but it would be healthy, more nutritious and not contain hidden nasties.

as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals.

like everything its about choice, I know people who make millions from making ready meals, wont be eating them.thats how they get rich, everything comes back to education.

You're right there those ready made lasagna have about 20% meat I think. A lb of mince from the butchers would be less than £2. Cheaper if you got value mince then drained some fat off while you're browning it, pasta sheets, passata, flour milk and butter for your white sauce. An onion and a clove of garlic. Basic, tasty, home cooked lasagna that costs less than £5 and would be a damn site nicer than the Iceland slop!

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By *eareenaCouple over a year ago

Rockford

Please... I am a single mother of 2 teen age boys and I work full time... I would like some sort of social life for myself.. ready meals are necessary. ... I do cook but christ almighty he is gettin on me tits.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

2 mins in micro or 40 mins of gas/ elec. Thats the choice many have to make...

Plus the family sitting down together for meals, and cooking skips being shared... Does this still happen.

I see plenty families with no manners, unable to.use cutlery, never mind plan and cook.

Its a wider issue...

Lots choose food by a photo on a menu, unaware of what's in season or how their food is sourced...

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

We cook virtually everything from scratch. We prefer to eat healthily and whole foods at that. We believe we are what we eat but we also have some dietary intolerances so for us it's easier and cheaper as a family of four, to cook from simple ingredients rather than buy the "free from", over priced stuff. I personally find it very liberating to walk past huge swathes of branded over packaged food! We really do save a decent amount too.

It just costs a little time, but I think if you want to do anything you'll find the time for it. Forward planning is key too. Planning your meals and buying the ingredients for them saves a lot of cash. Also we only get certain basics from the supermarket, we tend to shop at the fruit an veg shop as well as the butchers and save that way too.

The freezer is used a lot too for freezing cooked food portions and meat we've bought in larger quantities and portioned up. As we both work time is precious. We don't own a microwave but the slow cooker is our best friend.

I think the big thing is that people just don't know how to cook or struggle to find the time

We manage to feed a family of four, very well (including two voracious teenagers in that) for around 70 per week, which all things considered isn't too bad!

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

This thread reads like a romantic little trip down memory lane.

Why do people imagine for one moment that telling what your mum or gran did has ANY relevance to life today ?

The scenarios spoken of depict a post war / sixties / seventies family where mum was at home and had time to walk the four miles there and pushing the pram back with the base full of cheap cuts and veg to last the week.

There is no doubt that freshly produced food is better for human health yet a lot of people keep spouting on about pasta and bread both of which , whilst being good fillers are NOT nutritious by any stretch of the imagination. At best they are solid versions of wallpaper paste.

I feel in way for Jamie. I deeply resent his patronising manner through which he demonstrates his 'God' like knowledge of food to the ignorant masses but feel he means well and his premise is true.

I like soxy's point best. All of the ideas they demonstrate on T.V. assume homes with stocked cupboards. I've pissed myself laughing many a time when they run through a recipe and share such nuggets as .....add a touch of saffron to the rice...

Not in my cupboard unfortunately. As Soxy said... cooking slowly uses oodles of gas or electricity they never add this to the cost of the food nor petrol, nor car parking ,nor travelling nor time factors involved for horrendously busy people.

A fridge, a freezer , a jujjer , mixer, blender, ice cream maker, juicer, bread maker, slow cooker , microwave , cooker , hob ..... fuck me the list is endless .. a lot of people don't have what he has ....

Don't even get me started on advertising.

Do yourself a favour. WATCH the ads tonight. I did it years ago for research .... there's not ONE ad for fresh food..... not one.

The fresh food in your supermarket takes up the smallest percetage of square feet... LOOK how much space is dedicated to crisps , biscuits , cake.. then look at the size of the fruit n veg.

Incidentally there is poison all over the veg you buy ..... and inside it too.

We have moved away from nature to a startling degree and at a frightening pace.

I'm gonna start a thread on food ads i think.

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By *B9 QueenWoman over a year ago

Over the rainbow, under the bridge

"Maybe he should lower his restaurant prices then so that hard-up families can eat there?

Doesn't he have a big range of ready meals with his name on it for Sainsburys?

It must be nice for him to be able to pass judgement looking down from his big pile of money.

Apparently he HAD a contract with Sainsbury for 11 years but not now. He is also said to be quite wealthy -forgot how wealthy precisely.

I am just curious what people think about his statement on poverty - essentially he is saying people should buy fresh food and cook from scratch?

I agree and always say this when this comes up, ready meals are expensive rubbish. Cooking from scratch is not expensive and far more healthy but people just don't know how to. "

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I started eating less cooked food when I was introduced to the

BARF diet for my dogs, bones and raw food.

about 1985, it makes sense that in nature animals woulnt be cooking food, or removing bones from their diet, my oldest dog had cancer, and my vet pointed out that canned food had been cooked twice, removing 95% goodness, which is replaced by chemical additives.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Incidentally there is poison all over the veg you buy ..... and inside it too."

if you chose to buy it!

grow your own, my allotment produces most of what I need.

we have a choice how we live, reduce your spending, means you can reduce your hours

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

Grow my own .......

Here we go

My day does not allow it.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

""Incidentally there is poison all over the veg you buy ..... and inside it too."

if you chose to buy it!

grow your own, my allotment produces most of what I need.

we have a choice how we live, reduce your spending, means you can reduce your hours

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals.

Just out of curiosity how much of that 40p would you estimate is energy cost?... i.e. the price of gas or electric used to bake it?

I invested in a wood burning cooker that heats the water, warms my house and cooks the food, so cooking is done when washing needs doing, it takes no extra energy, the heat for my oven is a side effect from my hot water, gas and electricity use to be my two biggest bills, now I wake at dawn, sleep from dusk,

its isn't all about money, its about health, bread should be flour, water yeast and salt, read a label on a cheap loaf,

fresh yeast will be given freely by a baker, even supermarkets, all you need to do is show an interest and ask.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Grow my own .......

Here we go

My day does not allow it."

depends who controls your day

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By *amie0151Man over a year ago

Wallasey

"TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

PS Don't shoot me - I am only quoting from today's press.

On a positive note he said at least they can watch his cookery shows on their 60" HD Plasma tellys

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"This thread reads like a romantic little trip down memory lane.

Why do people imagine for one moment that telling what your mum or gran did has ANY relevance to life today ?

I feel in way for Jamie. I deeply resent his patronising manner through which he demonstrates his 'God' like knowledge of food to the ignorant masses but feel he means well and his premise is true.

Don't even get me started on advertising.

Do yourself a favour. WATCH the ads tonight. I did it years ago for research .... there's not ONE ad for fresh food..... not one.

The fresh food in your supermarket takes up the smallest percetage of square feet... LOOK how much space is dedicated to crisps , biscuits , cake.. then look at the size of the fruit n veg.

Incidentally there is poison all over the veg you buy ..... and inside it too.

We have moved away from nature to a startling degree and at a frightening pace.

I'm gonna start a thread on food ads i think."

you seem to have time to watch a television!!! that's your choice, I have never had a television, I live in the real world, of my choosing.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Is this really new information? Really is it?

I would think most people have known this for decades look at traditional food for the poor often processed fillings in pies and the rest. It all looks very much like a look at me attention grabbing act shouting about what we already knew.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals.

Just out of curiosity how much of that 40p would you estimate is energy cost?... i.e. the price of gas or electric used to bake it?

its isn't all about money, its about health, bread should be flour, water yeast and salt, read a label on a cheap loaf,

fresh yeast will be given freely by a baker, even supermarkets, all you need to do is show an interest and ask.

Ahh ok.....

Its just I’ve been reading some product re_iews that claim some of the bread making machines which cost around £100 to buy only use somewhere between 5p and 10p worth of electricity to bake a loaf ,,,…

although I’ve no idea if they make nice bread or not and I imagine the cost of buying one of those machine's would put them out of reach for a lot of poorer housholds......

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Grow my own .......

Here we go

My day does not allow it."
Here in Norfolk loads of houses around the villages with little tables outside all sorts for sales from their garden , I wish I had green fingers I should love a veg garden .

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals.

Just out of curiosity how much of that 40p would you estimate is energy cost?... i.e. the price of gas or electric used to bake it?

its isn't all about money, its about health, bread should be flour, water yeast and salt, read a label on a cheap loaf,

fresh yeast will be given freely by a baker, even supermarkets, all you need to do is show an interest and ask.

Ahh ok.....

although I’ve no idea if they make nice bread or not and I imagine the cost of buying one of those machine's would put them out of reach for a lot of poorer housholds......

What is a bread making machine? hands??

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"What is a bread making machine? hands??"

Who are you calling Hands?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Like most of tv chefs he is a knobhead he is just a cook with delusions of grandeur."

Yes and like michael winner said, you dont need brains to be a cook.

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By *issHottieBottieWoman over a year ago

Kent

"Grow my own .......

Here we go

My day does not allow it. Here in Norfolk loads of houses around the villages with little tables outside all sorts for sales from their garden , I wish I had green fingers I should love a veg garden ."

My ex's nan and grandad have an allotment and grow their own veg and sell whatever's left from a table in their drive! I'm just waiting for her to make me some pickled onions!! Yum x

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Is this really new information? Really is it?

"
there is nothing new under the sun, the thread is about keeping poor people down,and helping fill time in for the lonely, unemployable and unwanted.

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By *ucsparkMan over a year ago

dudley

"Not everyone has a freezer or sufficient funds to make the initial investment for cooking ingredients (herbs, spices, condiments etc).

Poverty is hand to mouth living, not simply money being a bit tight. For example not all on benefits are living in poverty though some are.

But a lot of herbs grow wild, we see to have lost the ability to know what is growing around us. To be able to know what is safe and what is not.

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

[Removed by poster at 27/08/13 12:45:46]

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By *ucsparkMan over a year ago

dudley

"as an x baker,i can make a fresh loaf of bread for 40p, a mass produced loaf would be anything from £1.to £ 1.45,

yes you can buy a loaf for 50p, but mostly water and chemicals.

Just out of curiosity how much of that 40p would you estimate is energy cost?... i.e. the price of gas or electric used to bake it?

its isn't all about money, its about health, bread should be flour, water yeast and salt, read a label on a cheap loaf,

fresh yeast will be given freely by a baker, even supermarkets, all you need to do is show an interest and ask.

Ahh ok.....

although I’ve no idea if they make nice bread or not and I imagine the cost of buying one of those machine's would put them out of reach for a lot of poorer housholds......

There are a few small bakers around here who do a short course to teach baking. It is rather simple to make a great loaf, even a blind bloke can do it. We had cider cobs with pork, stuffing and gravy yesterday all cooked in a wood oven. It was rather tasty.

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

"This thread reads like a romantic little trip down memory lane.

Why do people imagine for one moment that telling what your mum or gran did has ANY relevance to life today ?

I feel in way for Jamie. I deeply resent his patronising manner through which he demonstrates his 'God' like knowledge of food to the ignorant masses but feel he means well and his premise is true.

Don't even get me started on advertising.

Do yourself a favour. WATCH the ads tonight. I did it years ago for research .... there's not ONE ad for fresh food..... not one.

The fresh food in your supermarket takes up the smallest percetage of square feet... LOOK how much space is dedicated to crisps , biscuits , cake.. then look at the size of the fruit n veg.

Incidentally there is poison all over the veg you buy ..... and inside it too.

We have moved away from nature to a startling degree and at a frightening pace.

I'm gonna start a thread on food ads i think.

you seem to have time to watch a television!!! that's your choice, I have never had a television, I live in the real world, of my choosing."

What does that mean ?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

He's a prick. Pure and simple.

And his 'ministry of food' shut down for a bit in my town due to "health and safety" reasons

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

"Grow my own .......

Here we go

We used to grow veg in my dads garden Jo.

Sadly my lifestyle doesn't include looking after veg now. I don't have the space or the time.

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

Homemade bread is delicious. But bread made using the chorleywood process stays fresher longer.

For people living on or below the poverty line a large loaf which will stay fresh for up to a week and can be rationed costing a pound is better value than a smaller homemade one which only stays fresh for two days and costs around 50p to make.

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

What's Chorleywood Bitch ?

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

"What's Chorleywood Bitch ?"

The Chorleywood Method was developed in the 60s as a way to speed up the cooking time and make the loaf last longer. I think this was done by reducing proteins, increasing salt and sugar and cooking at a really high temperature. Knowledge gained in the 70s so it might be a bit rusty.

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

"What's Chorleywood Bitch ?

They also use a lot more yeast which can cause some people digestive issues.

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

I just wanted to say Bitch.

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

"What's Chorleywood Bitch ?

They also use a lot more yeast which can cause some people digestive issues."

Thanks, I knew I was missing something.

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By *oe_Steve_NWestCouple over a year ago

Bolton

[Removed by poster at 27/08/13 13:22:46]

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By *oe_Steve_NWestCouple over a year ago

Bolton

It's a lot cheaper to buy fresh food and veg and actually cook rather than buying ready made meals - go down to the market later in the afternoon for even better bargains. a lot of people are just too lazy to make real food. Z

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By *ucsparkMan over a year ago

dudley

"What's Chorleywood Bitch ?

They also use a lot more yeast which can cause some people digestive issues.

Thanks, I knew I was missing something."

Well I am impressed with both of your knowledge. A lot say that the bread is bland thou

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Isn't JO just making the comparison between ready meals and the price of homemade food, apart from the shite quality of budget supemarket meals?

You can easily make so much from home and save money without having to slave all day in the kitchen.

I always thought he was a twerp but I do appreciate the fact that he uses his job to help people along.

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

I always thought he was a twerp but I do appreciate the fact that he uses his job to help his bank balance along.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I always thought he was a twerp but I do appreciate the fact that he uses his job to help his bank balance along."

LOL touche!

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By *oe_Steve_NWestCouple over a year ago

Bolton

I always thought he was a twerp but I do appreciate the fact that he uses his job to help his bank balance along."

I actually work to earn money - don't we all? So he makes plenty of money, so what? Z

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Can't stand the bloke, think he just says things that keep his name in the media. Think he's a complete tosser who needs to keep his comments to himself. People these days are lucky to put any food on their table, let alone stuff he feels worthy.

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By *iewMan over a year ago
Forum Mod

Angus & Findhorn

I like him and good on him for trying to do something

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It's a tricky one. Much of the cooking from scratch assumes you have some of the basics in the store cupboard.

I was thinking of a similar blog, maybe it's the same woman. Easy enough to make batches and freeze the rest.

I like Jamie Oliver, I think he cares about things like this. Love him or hate him he gets people talking. He wasn't born a millionaire. He will have an idea of what it's like to have less money.

Unfortunately a lot of people just think he's an ass and will go out and buy ready meals just to 'spite him'.

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

"It's a tricky one. Much of the cooking from scratch assumes you have some of the basics in the store cupboard.

I was thinking of a similar blog, maybe it's the same woman. Easy enough to make batches and freeze the rest.

I like Jamie Oliver, I think he cares about things like this. Love him or hate him he gets people talking. He wasn't born a millionaire. He will have an idea of what it's like to have less money.

Unfortunately a lot of people just think he's an ass and will go out and buy ready meals just to 'spite him'. "

I meant to come back to this earlier. Her blog is called A Girl Called Jack. It's well worth a peek.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It's a tricky one. Much of the cooking from scratch assumes you have some of the basics in the store cupboard.

I was thinking of a similar blog, maybe it's the same woman. Easy enough to make batches and freeze the rest.

I like Jamie Oliver, I think he cares about things like this. Love him or hate him he gets people talking. He wasn't born a millionaire. He will have an idea of what it's like to have less money.

Unfortunately a lot of people just think he's an ass and will go out and buy ready meals just to 'spite him'.

I meant to come back to this earlier. Her blog is called A Girl Called Jack. It's well worth a peek.

Yes! That's the one. Very good it is too.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I dont know jamie oliver personaly but there is one main reason why i dont like him, which i wont go into on here.

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

I think he must have a new publicist.

Today's offering is

"young British people are "wet behind the ears" and European immigrants are "tougher" workers.

The presenter, whose restaurants include the Jamie's Italian chain, said they would all have to close if there were no migrants to staff them.

"There wouldn't be any Brits to replace them," he said in an inter_iew with Good Housekeeping magazine.

Young British people were not good at "long hours in hot kitchens", he said."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23860811

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

His new series on cooking on a budget starts on Monday. No doubt there will be a spread in at least one of the weekend papers looking at Jamie's comments and frugal food.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

In all honesty although I’m sure his passion is genuine and his motives well intentioned, and he is obviously a very shrewd individual who’s taken his opportunities…..

But other than in the capacity of a celebrity cook, he doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who’s got a grasp of the challenges faced by everyday folk living in today’s society... ….

Comment like the ones recently reported just make me zone out and think maybe he’s getting a bit caught up in his own self importance.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"In all honesty although I’m sure his passion is genuine and his motives well intentioned, and he is obviously a very shrewd individual who’s taken his opportunities…..

But other than in the capacity of a celebrity cook, he doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who’s got a grasp of the challenges faced by everyday folk living in today’s society... ….

Comment like the ones recently reported just make me zone out and think maybe he’s getting a bit caught up in his own self importance.

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By *yrdwomanWoman over a year ago

Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum

"I think he must have a new publicist.

Today's offering is

"young British people are "wet behind the ears" and European immigrants are "tougher" workers.

The presenter, whose restaurants include the Jamie's Italian chain, said they would all have to close if there were no migrants to staff them.

"There wouldn't be any Brits to replace them," he said in an inter_iew with Good Housekeeping magazine.

Young British people were not good at "long hours in hot kitchens", he said."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23860811"

Talk about generalising. My daughter works 10 hour days at Pret a Manger, starting at 5am. In fact, if it wasn't for the service industry, half the young people in York wouldn't have a job at all.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

This is the same Jamie Oliver that today was telling the press that immigrants work harder than British people because they are happy to work 80+ hours a week without moaning and at minimum wage (in his restaurants). He actually thinks that an 80 hour week used to be the average hours worked by people in this country. He might not mind working those hours in his own restaurants so he can keep raking in his profits, but the people he employs on minimum wage are forced to work those hours to reach a decent wage. Shit food costs less, thats why a lot of the ready meals and takeaways are quite cheap. That's the fault of the supermarkets with their bulk purchasing power. Poor people will eat crap if it is all they can afford. Jamie Oliver has never KNOWN poverty, he might have made a couple of tv programmes about it, but he hasn't experienced it first hand.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"This is the same Jamie Oliver that today was telling the press that immigrants work harder than British people because they are happy to work 80+ hours a week without moaning and at minimum wage (in his restaurants). He actually thinks that an 80 hour week used to be the average hours worked by people in this country. He might not mind working those hours in his own restaurants so he can keep raking in his profits, but the people he employs on minimum wage are forced to work those hours to reach a decent wage. Shit food costs less, thats why a lot of the ready meals and takeaways are quite cheap. That's the fault of the supermarkets with their bulk purchasing power. Poor people will eat crap if it is all they can afford. Jamie Oliver has never KNOWN poverty, he might have made a couple of tv programmes about it, but he hasn't experienced it first hand."

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

"I just wanted to say Bitch."

Did you giggle as you typed?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I really hope the hostile reaction to his comments strike home and I’ll be rather disappointed if he tries to defend what he’s been reported as saying…

This could well be the start of his fall from grace and I can’t see him getting much support from the media unless he quickly shows some genuine remorse and humility...

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

In a lot of families, where both parents work I think they turn to ready meals as after a day at work then home to the kids, the last thing some think about is slaving over a hot stove, and kids who all want different things for tea,

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By *atisfy janeWoman over a year ago

Torquay

The Eastern European workers that I know personally do indeed work with a different attitude than many British workers.

They tend not to slack, and are more than capable of thinking for themselves and make for good problem solvers within the workplace.

They see work time as just that, they are there to earn money and don,t spend all day nattering like many of their British colleagues.

That's my personal experience of them anyway.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Not mine.

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

"I just wanted to say Bitch.

Did you giggle as you typed?"

Fraid so .... It was a slow day. What can i say ....

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I really hope the hostile reaction to his comments strike home and I’ll be rather disappointed if he tries to defend what he’s been reported as saying…

This could well be the start of his fall from grace and I can’t see him getting much support from the media unless he quickly shows some genuine remorse and humility...

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By *empting Devil.Woman over a year ago

Sheffield

"I just wanted to say Bitch.

Did you giggle as you typed?

Fraid so .... It was a slow day. What can i say ...."

There aren't many days when I can say pleasured Granny...

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

you plan , shop, and prepare a few days meals all at once, filling the oven so it is only on for a few hours once, not every day.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

you plan , shop, and prepare a few days meals all at once, filling the oven so it is only on for a few hours once, not every day."

Yes that is the logical route,,,, but not everyone has the good fortune to be able to plan their meals in advance and have their money tied up in homemade pre-prepared meals which will in many cases still need re-heating anyway thus require the use and subsequent cost of additional energy to do that…

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

There's also the unmitigated joy of popping into Tesco for a bag of wine gums and spotting the 8p quiche.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

[Removed by poster at 28/08/13 19:50:42]

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

you plan , shop, and prepare a few days meals all at once, filling the oven so it is only on for a few hours once, not every day.

sigh... kinda knew i'd be shot down in flames

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"It’s all well and good Jamie telling poorer families they might save cash by using fresh ingredients,,,,,,

But it would be nice to see him provide a break-down of the house-hold energy cost of cooking meals from scratch against heating up ready meals…..

you plan , shop, and prepare a few days meals all at once, filling the oven so it is only on for a few hours once, not every day.

sigh... kinda knew i'd be shot down in flames"

lol...You've not been shot down in flames,,, we've just both offered an opinion on a subject that has many possibilities and simply by discussing them we added something worthwhile to the thread,,, ... ....

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By *oe_Steve_NWestCouple over a year ago

Bolton

I worked all day today - did a piece of beef i got on offer from co-op with fresh brocolli & cauliflower - reduced - mashed spuds, a tin of broad beans and gravy from the meat - cost less than a fiver and was ready in an hour - also some beef left for a sandwich tomorrow. That's not difficult to do - i see loads of women who don't even work not bothering to cook - just plain lazy if you ask me. Z

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By *ranny-CrumpetWoman over a year ago

The Town by The Cross

I walked the five miles home so that I could pull up some carrots from the farm and peel them on the way home.

I put a large potato between my tits and let it slowly sweat. It was perfect by the time I got back.

I used two sticks I found with the lastic from my knickers and a sharp stone to down a pigeon and held that over a match stick as I walked the last two and a half miles and I still had time to whisk up some milk and eggs and steam them into a custard by holding it under my bath water.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I walked the five miles home so that I could pull up some carrots from the farm and peel them on the way home.

I put a large potato between my tits and let it slowly sweat. It was perfect by the time I got back.

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By *atisfy janeWoman over a year ago

Torquay

"I worked all day today - did a piece of beef i got on offer from co-op with fresh brocolli & cauliflower - reduced - mashed spuds, a tin of broad beans and gravy from the meat - cost less than a fiver and was ready in an hour - also some beef left for a sandwich tomorrow. That's not difficult to do - i see loads of women who don't even work not bothering to cook - just plain lazy if you ask me. Z"

I rarely bother to cook from scratch nowadays, maybe a weekend meal but I find myself too busy with my business to go to ll that trouble....

Lazy?......sue me!

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By *yrdwomanWoman over a year ago

Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum

Shopping for good ingredients does take time, and luck! I always trawl any shop I go in for marked down items, but that means I have to be passing a shop to do so. I then go home and cook it, which also takes time. On the other hand, ready meals are crap, even if they are cheap. Full of salt, fat, and other stuff. At least cooking for yourself means you know what you're eating!

I think what Jamie Oliver said was a bit naïve though. Poor people should not be stereotyped just because they are choosing to spend the small amount of money they have in a certain way. I think Olivers intentions are good, but he is so out of touch these days its ridiculous.

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By *atisfy janeWoman over a year ago

Torquay

"Shopping for good ingredients does take time, and luck! I always trawl any shop I go in for marked down items, but that means I have to be passing a shop to do so. I then go home and cook it, which also takes time. On the other hand, ready meals are crap, even if they are cheap. Full of salt, fat, and other stuff. At least cooking for yourself means you know what you're eating!

Not ALL ready meals are crap/full of salt/fat.....

Depends where and what you buy

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By *urreyfun2008Man over a year ago

East Grinstead

Buy in bulk on the rice and pasta. Split the meat down into portion sized baggies in the freezer and swallow pride and use the sainsbury basics range for stuff like teabags (25p for 80).

Cook almost every meal from scratch and bread maker so can enjoy fresh bread and easily make dough for rolls etc

The of getting by after a 40% salary cut but the mortgage gets paid at least

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By *oe_Steve_NWestCouple over a year ago

Bolton

"I walked the five miles home so that I could pull up some carrots from the farm and peel them on the way home.

I put a large potato between my tits and let it slowly sweat. It was perfect by the time I got back.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Im lazy, better than being a martyr though. cooking and washing up every single day is boring.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"There's also the unmitigated joy of popping into Tesco for a bag of wine gums and spotting the 8p quiche."

Ah but Onny, do ya reckon as more and more of these food giants relocate to monolithic premises at edge of town sites, will it leave those poorer families who can’t afford their own transport having to pay higher price per item at them small local convenience chain stores where the chance of finding that elusive 8p quiche are about as slim as getting an extra quid back in their change…eh!…..

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By *yrdwomanWoman over a year ago

Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum

Not ALL ready meals are crap/full of salt/fat.....

Depends where and what you buy"

I can't remember which programme it was but it was said that no UK supermarket ready meal came to the bottom standard set by the EU for nutrition. The little traffic lights they put at the front tells us the bare minimum of info. Reading the ingredients gives us a better idea and I bet there are very few ready meals out there not packed with preservatives.

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

"I really hope the hostile reaction to his comments strike home and I’ll be rather disappointed if he tries to defend what he’s been reported as saying…

This could well be the start of his fall from grace and I can’t see him getting much support from the media unless he quickly shows some genuine remorse and humility...

I'm not sure that will be the outcome at all. "Poverty porn" is all the rage at the moment. Being told how to live by our betters, particularly if we want to be seen to be of the deserving poor and not part of that feckless, shirker undeserving poor lot, is also fashionable.

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By *UNCHBOXMan over a year ago

folkestone

This thread reminds me of the time BBC3 made a series where a comedian tried to make various pies/ready meals with the minimum amount of meat as legally possible, and word the ingredients to sounds as nice as possible. I think he managed to make a pie with about 10% meat and most of that was from parts of the animal you don't really what to think about.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I really hope the hostile reaction to his comments strike home and I’ll be rather disappointed if he tries to defend what he’s been reported as saying…

This could well be the start of his fall from grace and I can’t see him getting much support from the media unless he quickly shows some genuine remorse and humility...

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"There's also the unmitigated joy of popping into Tesco for a bag of wine gums and spotting the 8p quiche."

I've had that quiche , The box tasted less like cardboard than The quiche

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By *atisfy janeWoman over a year ago

Torquay

Not ALL ready meals are crap/full of salt/fat.....

Depends where and what you buy

I'm very happy to eat M&S meals, they give me all the info I need as regards nutritional value and content, I am able to make an informed choice on that basis.

I have very long work days, and that rarely ends when I get home, my midweek eating habits reflect this.

Do I care?.......take a guess

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

"There's also the unmitigated joy of popping into Tesco for a bag of wine gums and spotting the 8p quiche.

I've had that quiche , The box tasted less like cardboard than The quiche

Hint - you're not supposed to eat the box

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By *riskynriskyCouple over a year ago

Essex.

I haven't read the whole thread so don't know if anyone has said before... A few years ago I had a job that ment visiting many council houses, flats and places with people living in poverty. Nearly all these places had an xbox, playstation and a big flat screen TV. These places were thick with cigarette smoke... Now I know you can't tar everyone with the same brush but that was in the days when I was working full time but still couldn't afford to buy stuff like that. I think too many people claim poverty without really knowing what it truly means.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"There's also the unmitigated joy of popping into Tesco for a bag of wine gums and spotting the 8p quiche.

I've had that quiche , The box tasted less like cardboard than The quiche

Hint - you're not supposed to eat the box

It looked felt and tasted more appetising

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Ready meals are just shite in too much wrapping. In todays world of instant information it's not difficult to learn how to cook simple cheap meals.

As for the above comment about people claiming poverty yet having xboxes etc, you're right, my take on the welfare system is it's there to financially support and help provide the basics - food/rent/utilities.

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By *aughtyinguMan over a year ago

swindon

food poverty can mean not getting the right stuff, ironicly the obese often lack the things they need in their diet.

And microwaves stuff doesn't seem as healthy or energy giving as normaly heated similer meal.

I've eaten at one of his resturants, normal prices and our waitress was English.

Until soylent is in proper production, we won't have a easy solution

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By *teveanddebsCouple over a year ago

Norwich

Funny how the mockney twat is so against ready meals now he hasn't got a contract with Sainsbury to sell, er, ready meals.

And what has soylent got to do with the price of fish? I thought we were talking about food?

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By *yrdwomanWoman over a year ago

Putting the 'cum' in Eboracum

I guess we should respond to his real point though...

Who will be watching his programme?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I guess we should respond to his real point though...

Who will be watching his programme?

Only way I would watch is if someone tied me to a chair in front of the telly. Then it would be worse than torture for me, watching anything that he decides is good or bad for us!

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By *teveanddebsCouple over a year ago

Norwich

I bought a packet of sauages in Sainbury's that had his picture on the front.

On the back it said "Prick with a fork"

I thought that summed it up quite well.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I bought a packet of sauages in Sainbury's that had his picture on the front.

On the back it said "Prick with a fork"

I thought that summed it up quite well."

Love it

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By *teveanddebsCouple over a year ago

Norwich

"TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

OK to get back on track, they should eat cheaper ones.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"TV chef says many hard-up families eat expensive ready meals - what do you think?

PS Don't shoot me - I am only quoting from today's press.

I haven't read anything that Jamie Oliver has said, but I agree with the point that living on ready made meals and take aways is not a cheap option. Its a lazy option. Personally though, I do believe there are real and very genuine cases of families who really struggle to make ends meet. The problem is the way these families are often presented to the general population by the media.Usually coming across as lazy scum that have no intentions of working, smoking vast amounts of cigarettes and drinking alcohol. These aren't the majority.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I bought a packet of sauages in Sainbury's that had his picture on the front.

On the back it said "Prick with a fork"

I thought that summed it up quite well.

Love it

laughed at this , Oliver used to be ok , now he's just another selfricheous twerp ...very much like Gordon Ramsay ....in my opinion

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By *ecor atorMan over a year ago

York

Although I agree that when you are as outrageously wealthy as him, it's easy to sit in his ivory tower and pontificate.

However- the boy has a point.

If you were poor in my day (listen to me I'm 53) it meant that times were hard and things were tough.

Today the poor somehow manage to eat take away food as a staple diet while sat in front of a massive big fuck off LED or in another room with a another telly on their playstation 360 or whatever they are!

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

TO MANY EXCUSES!!! This is all about eating ready meals if you can afford to buy ready meals you can afford to buy half decent fresh food.If you say rubbish I want proof to back up your comments.I know I can do it can you?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

" ... if you can afford to buy ready meals you can afford to buy half decent fresh food...."

Yep, totally right.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I’m certainly not poor or anything like being poor,,,,,,,

But once again here we find someone with good intentions offering advise.... but who clearly demonstrates a questionable credibility with regards their credentials for being able to support the reality behind the claims of the message they’re trying to deliver ….

If Jamie were to make a documentary where he spends a minimum of 3 months living the life of someone in a family on substance income and all that entails, I’d be interested to hear what he has to say at the end of it….!.

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

"TO MANY EXCUSES!!! This is all about eating ready meals if you can afford to buy ready meals you can afford to buy half decent fresh food.If you say rubbish I want proof to back up your comments.I know I can do it can you?

I'm sure at least some of those eating ready meals or feeding at McDonalds/ PIzza Hut are doing so 'cos they simply don't have cooking facilities at 'home'.

Most local authority/ housing association lets are just a bare house - no furniture, cooker, fridge etc. Indeed, the additional costs associated with setting up home are often quoted as the main reason for early unsustainability of tenancy.

There ARE sources of help available but all too often they're slow to click into place before the damage is done.

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By *bbandflowCouple over a year ago

South Devon

"I’m certainly not poor or anything like being poor,,,,,,,

As with most newspaper headlines it got the reaction it intended to..namely people to be outraged by a multi millionaire bleating on about poverty.

Maybe it was an ill judged piece by Oliver, but to be fair to him he was comparing what we consider poverty and the kind of poverty that exists in other countries and how those people deal with food and poverty. I don't believe he was targeting those who are in genuine poverty, but to those who claim to be 'hard up' yet have massive TV's, and eat takeaway food.

Like those he met in his Ministry Of Food series, he doesn't blame or condemn them but acknowledges they simply didn't have the knowledge or wherewithal to prepare and cook food at home.

It's ironic Oliver has attracted so much criticism in a week where Prince Charles gave a speech in Germany claiming that ' the drive for cheaper food production is to be discouraged'

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By *riendly foeWoman over a year ago

In a crisp poke on the A814

I agree and always say this when this comes up, ready meals are expensive rubbish. Cooking from scratch is not expensive and far more healthy but people just don't know how to. "

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"I’m certainly not poor or anything like being poor,,,,,,,

As with most newspaper headlines it got the reaction it intended to..namely people to be outraged by a multi millionaire bleating on about poverty.

Like those he met in his Ministry Of Food series, he doesn't blame or condemn them but acknowledges they simply didn't have the knowledge or wherewithal to prepare and cook food at home.

It's ironic Oliver has attracted so much criticism in a week where Prince Charles gave a speech in Germany claiming that ' the drive for cheaper food production is to be discouraged' "

Yes I guess the old proverb "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink" is still as apt today as it ever was and although I fully support the basis behind the message, I too have my reservations about the chosen method of delivering that message,,,

I think sometimes good intentions will backfire when not enough thought has been applied to the possible reaction they might cause by misjudging the way the those intentions are committed

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

Some 'celebrities' still seem to believe the 'no such thing as bad publicity' myth.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Some 'celebrities' still seem to believe the 'no such thing as bad publicity' myth."

In some respect there isn't.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook."

Oh, go on, blame the teachers again...if parents cooked with their children then everyone would have a better understanding of how to make a proper meal. I have three kids and they can all cook. None of them were taught to cook at school.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook.

Thats a valid point far too many people think its the school who should teach children everything and in reality cooking and running a house is a task parents should want to take on not off load to someone else.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"If cooking was properly taught in schools then we probably wouldn't be in the situation where people can't cook.

It's nothing to do with the teachers. It's the government. I'd rather they were taught cooking than "Food Technology".

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By *icketysplitsWoman over a year ago

Way over Yonder, that's where I'm bound

I'm sure at least some of those eating ready meals or feeding at McDonalds/ PIzza Hut are doing so 'cos they simply don't have cooking facilities at 'home'.

There ARE sources of help available but all too often they're slow to click into place before the damage is done."

All have been severely reduced in the last couple of years with the changes to hardship grants. All of the charities I know working in this field will only see people with a referral from housing or social services and their funds have been stretched so far they have had to reduce the amount given to each family for things like white goods and beds.

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

Maybe the problem is that tv has converted cooking from a pleasurable activity into a competitive one.

They've done the same with dancing, crafts, junk hunting and more.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Maybe the problem is that tv has converted cooking from a pleasurable activity into a competitive one.

They've done the same with dancing, crafts, junk hunting and more.

Not so the case only a small number of shows have a competitive edge many others Hairy bikers, Gordon Ramsay and Nigel Slater go down traditional/quick/budget home cooking but with a good end product.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Ok BUT heres the thing !,,,, would you gladly sacrifice the popularity and reputation of Mr Oliver if it meant a few more families chose to eat healthy meals as a result of all this press coverage, but with the caveat being we would never get see him in the media ever again.? eh!.

Hey, I certainly would…

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Ok BUT heres the thing !,,,, would you gladly sacrifice the popularity and reputation of Mr Oliver if it meant a few more families chose to eat healthy meals as a result of all this press coverage, but with the caveat being we would never get see him in the media ever again.? eh!.

Hey, I certainly would…

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By *nnyMan over a year ago

Glasgow

"Maybe the problem is that tv has converted cooking from a pleasurable activity into a competitive one.

They've done the same with dancing, crafts, junk hunting and more.

But even just to use your own Hairy Bikers example. It deteriorated into a weight loss competition.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

"Maybe the problem is that tv has converted cooking from a pleasurable activity into a competitive one.

They've done the same with dancing, crafts, junk hunting and more.

But even just to use your own Hairy Bikers example. It deteriorated into a weight loss competition.

Thread full?

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

Hey, I certainly would…

The sentiment is fine but in reality people will eat what they want to eat healthy or not. You only have to look at obesity in general in society and there are many educated informed affluent people who equally eat processed food and far too much of it to realise its not just down to lack of education and poverty.

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By *teveanddebsCouple over a year ago

Norwich

Rubbish. For proof look at the prices (and quantities) in any supermarket and consider people that are only cooking for themselves. Don't forget to take electricity/gas into account.

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By (user no longer on site) over a year ago

I must admit the whole debate where the meaning of food poverty is questioned by challenging the issue of families who have the financial means to afford a large screen television does have a certain irony, when pretty much every hour of every day those large screen televisions are constantly bombarded with cookery programmes presented by celebrity chefs encouraging is to eat better quality food … and all in the name of entertaiment,,,,

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By *bbandflowCouple over a year ago

South Devon

"I’m certainly not poor or anything like being poor,,,,,,,

As with most newspaper headlines it got the reaction it intended to..namely people to be outraged by a multi millionaire bleating on about poverty.

Like those he met in his Ministry Of Food series, he doesn't blame or condemn them but acknowledges they simply didn't have the knowledge or wherewithal to prepare and cook food at home.

It's ironic Oliver has attracted so much criticism in a week where Prince Charles gave a speech in Germany claiming that ' the drive for cheaper food production is to be discouraged'

I think sometimes good intentions will backfire when not enough thought has been applied to the possible reaction they might cause by misjudging the way the those intentions are committed

Maybe..but would you prefer Oliver to sit back with his millions and not give a shit either way. Or be prepared to be shot down for what I think are his genuine concerns.

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