Food Revolution Day

Well, I don’t know about the longevity of his crusades, but I was in Ipswich on a work trip last year and, to my great surprise, came upon one of Oliver’s cooking teaching shopfronts, complete with a full house of Ipswichians taking cooking classes at 7 at night.

Central Ipswich seemed both a) too obscure to attract attention if it was all a publicity stunt, and b) just the sort of place which could actually use a hand. I hadn’t heard about it or seen it on TV, but it was there and doing something. Maybe it’s not just about publicity?

sounds good! tasty meals with healthy entertainment 🙂
i would surely be looking forward to be there

pukka! this looks like another inventive way to promote a shift back to healthy food for the world’s growing [and i mean that in all its forms] population. if we weren’t expecting astromonkey two shortly before this, i’d be in it (as norm was wont to say!)

as jb sagely notes, to the naysayers, what have you done lately to try to make the world a better place?

EvanJames said :

I’m eating my lunch and it’s a Jamie Oliver recipe…

…

Mind you, it must be quite nice to be able to cook. Sigh.

I’m eating my lunch and it’s a Jamie Oliver recipe…

Wouldn’t have thought that he’d find fertile ground in Australia, as we are pretty into food. There are bogans who live on McDonalds and such rubbish, but I think they’re in the minority. Not like the US where processed food is almost impossible to avoid (they even put crap in the rice!).

breda said :

“Celebrity chef” Jamie Oliver is an irritating, self righteous tosser. Not one of his highly publicised crusades to transform school eating habits has survived once the TV cameras moved on.

Did wonders for his book sales and promotional tours, however.

And whose fault is that that in the US, their f-ed up school system considered chlorinated meat waste turned pink is a source of nutrition? Whose fault is it that US food regulations count tomato sauce on a pizza as a serve of vegetable?

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/03/15/148685884/usda-to-give-schools-more-ground-beef-choices-after-outcry-over-pink-slime

If people choose not to stay with the changes he offers, then that is both their fault and their loss. You can’t blame someone with good intentions for the failures of others not to harness what they are given. He can’t be there to look after the incompetent and child like society much of the US and many parts of the UK has turned into that has lead to the obesity and nutritional deficiency epidemics we’re now seeing.

How about we target those TV chefs who really deserve it, who compound the problems rather than fix them. Ian Hewitson is one, he seems to think every meal needs several tablespoons of salt. What about Nigella Lawson or Karan Martini on BH&G, both of whom don’t seem to know how to cook without tons of saturated fat and salt – which means they’re lazy. None of these people has the talent Jamie has for using fresh and healthy flavourings in the place of the lazy stooge of yesteryear.

breda said :

“Celebrity chef” Jamie Oliver is an irritating, self righteous tosser. Not one of his highly publicised crusades to transform school eating habits has survived once the TV cameras moved on.

Did wonders for his book sales and promotional tours, however.

I agree 100%. Incredibly patronising to the people whose lives he is trying to ‘improve’.

Fifteen was founded by Jamie Oliver in 2002. His vision was to create a professionally run kitchen, serving beautiful Italian food, alongside a pioneering Apprentice Programme. At the heart of the business is a desire to enable young people to believe in themselves, to show them their past can be left behind and persuade them the future is theirs to create

‘Fifteen’ is named after the first group of 15 apprentices who embarked on the course in London in 2002. Since then, more than 220 young people have graduated across all the restaurants, with some of them now running their own restaurants, starring on TV or working in top-class kitchens from London to New York to Sydney. More than 90 per cent of apprentices stay in the business, and the programme is still growing.

Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen is committed to sourcing seasonal, high quality ingredients from the best suppliers throughout the UK and Italy. Homemade produce is at the heartbeat of the restaurant, be it fresh pasta, breads, ice cream, a selection of cured meats, cordials, presses and alcoholic drinks such as limoncello, fennel liqueur, almond liqueur and creme liqueur, to name a few.

To celebrate Fifteen’s 10-year anniversary, on the 15th of every month we will be welcoming back the graduates from each year of the restaurant’s history, who will cook their favourite dishes to showcase what they learnt during their apprenticeships.

I have eaten at two “15” restaurants, and been impressed and amazed by the quality of food.

I’m no fan of the man himself, (I’m a Heston groupie,) but recognise good works when they are done.

I loved his Food Revolution idea. I actually bought the cookbook, though rarely use it. I also bought it for a friend who was not able to cook.

It’s aimed at people who live on Dominos and KFC or frozen party pies. So doesn’t apply to myself or any of my friends, but any excuse for a dinner party is worthy in my opinion.

Mysteryman said :

johnboy said :

The man tries to do worthy things. I’m not a huge fan (or even any sort of fan) but what have you tried to do lately to make the world a better place?

+1. My biggest gripe with Oliver is his liberal use of olive oil! I think what’s he’s trying to do as far as education is commendable.

Better than powdered sugar/hot oil
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42oUVwyFsZI