Jamie's one pound meals

Just to counter paddyann’s comment, I too ate in one of Jamie’s restaurants once and the food was delicious and the service friendly and fast. #just saying

I used to like our local Jamie's Italian and was sorryvwhen it closed.
Didn't he also run something called Jamie's 15 or similar with the aim of training up disaffected teenagers to give him the sort of step up he had enjoyed?

timetogo2016

I think £1 meals just does not exist,it costs money to cook them.for heavens sake.

Surely £10 meals have to be cooked too?

I'm not a fan I have only eaten in one of his restaurants ...once.It was shocking .The service was non existent the food dried up by sitting too long .I usually support local Italian family run places and they are without doubt 100%+ better than Jamies chain .Oh and on the night we ate there his friend Gennaro Contaldo was in the kitchen...so it wasn't being run by junior staff .No surprise it failed!

Fair comment growstuff.

Maw I like Jamie too! I have followed his career and bought all his books. I was very sad when his restaurants closed but he was far too generous with giveaways and as he said he bought cathedrals when he should bought churches.
Anyhoo I liked the programme. I wouldn't necessarily make those recipes but I think its a genuine attempt to help people which has certainly been a feature of all Jamie's career. The cheeky chappy image (which I also think is genuine) has helped him get through huge business probelms and come out the other side still helping others. Rather that than some miserable, foul mouthed egoist!

I agree Urms
My mum was a widow having to feed 3 hungry children on her small pension.
She often had leaflets produced by the well meaning WI telling how to make a shin of beef last a week by adding dumplings.
Now if these ladies would have invited us for a meal occasionally but I daresay they thought they'd catch lice

And yes, Urmstongran - a good point!!
Re the personal allowance, I meant.
🤞

timetogo2016

I think £1 meals just does not exist,it costs money to cook them.for heavens sake.

£1 meals most certainly exist, even including the cooking and today's prices.

I wouldn't like to live on them forever, but they exist.

Riverwalk

So many variables with a can of tuna - chunks or steak, brine or oil, already drained, plus the size of the can. I'm sure they used to be a standard size, like beans and soup, or maybe I'm mis-remembering!

He does have some interesting recipes but I can't watch him for long, far too irritating with his gestures and cheeky chappie persona.

If the can of tuna is in sunflower or (more expensive) olive oil, you could drain the can and use that oil in the recipe.

I agree about the drastic price increases recently which makes the programme seem out-of-date already.

And yes, Urmstongran - a good point!!

"Cooking on a bootstrap", by Jack Monroe has a lot of very economical meals, from when she was doing just that. There are another half-dozen books on Amazon on "Cooking on a shoestring" too (as I found when searching for how to spell Monroe right so as not to have anyone respond that they couldn't find her book) Her "Tin Can Cook" has a lot of budget store-cupboard recipes too, plus some not-so-budget ones)

Give him a break! When I taught Food Technology the students all loved Jamie. His enthusiasm is completely on their wavelength.

He’s not trying to teach granny to suck eggs because we’re not his target audience.

I made his stuffed chicken thighs at the weekend and they were delicious.

So totally agree regards personal allowance. Think Jamie is really trying to help people, yes he may be wealthy, not always so. Can't stand tuna though. Again if you feel he's demeaning people instead of trying to help, don't watch it.

Risotto even

Germanshepherdsmum

You would probably call me a rich Tory Glorianny. Thanks a bunch.

If the cap fits.
The Trussell Trust is calling for a 7% increase in benefits to enable people to afford to eat
Foodbank use has increased rapidly
If the Tories care about people eating why is this happening?
www.trusselltrust.org/news-and-blog/latest-stats/end-year-stats/

Well I like Jamie!
I like his jolly bish, bash, bosh attitude and his recipes have actually proved dependable and successful (for me) which is no mean feat! I still swear by his Fish Pie and Risitto recipes.

Did he factor in the cost of buying a bottle of olive oil and so on? You only use a little each time, but you have to buy it by the bottle, not the tablespoon. That can be a relatively big expense, and is what keeps people on a tight budget from having a well-stocked store cupboard from which to concoct varied and interesting meals. Tuna gets boring, even if you vary whether it is in brine or oil, and how you serve it.

Sago

I think a lot of Jamie’s target audience would possibly not know to put a lid on a saucepan to save energy.

They don't use their microwaves to hurry things up as we do either, just for reheating ready-made meals. I thought I had taught my two well but when one saw me boiling the potatoes for roasting in the microwave she was shocked and making white sauce without any lumps. Also switching the cooker off and using the residual heat for pasta etc.
Batch baking is an unknown word to many of them!!!!

You would probably call me a rich Tory Glorianny. Thanks a bunch.

Cheapest can of tuna n Tesco 55p. So the pricing is right. I think it's good to see meals that ordinary families might make and enjoy. Don't particularly like Jamie Oliver but don't see why him showing people how to make cheap meals is anything to do with the poor accepting their lot. Better fed poor people are more likely to complain and revolt. Underfed children's brains don't develop properly. So food is important. (I don't think rich tories care what, or if, we eat)

I think £1 meals just does not exist,it costs money to cook them.for heavens sake.

The programme did have a disclaimer pointing out that the prices were correct at time of filming.

I am going to try the pork noodle dish, it looked very tasty and easy.

There’s rumour he may do just that Urms.

So many variables with a can of tuna - chunks or steak, brine or oil, already drained, plus the size of the can. I'm sure they used to be a standard size, like beans and soup, or maybe I'm mis-remembering!

He does have some interesting recipes but I can't watch him for long, far too irritating with his gestures and cheeky chappie persona.

I have been watching this programme some of the products he is using are from Tesco and called Stockwell flour beetroot etc cupboard essentials they are cheaper. I was on Jamie’s website these programmes were filmed November. All of the shops are relentless putting the prices up every week. The bottom shelf often has the cheaper alternative that’s what I have noticed.