BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero

Subject: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Stu
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:26 AM

I never thought I would say this, but thank God for Jamie Oliver, who has started a food revolution in our schools, making our kids healthier and happier by replacing fat and sugar laden junk with real food. He has put his money where his mouth is with his restaurant Fifteen, and now this excellent campaign.

Hopefully this attitude will spread to the rest of the UK before we (and I very much include myself here) all turn into lardarses from eating burgers and crap like that.

Power to your blender Mr. O!

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:34 AM

Agreed, the man's a hero! he's doing what we supposedly elect politicians to do, make a difference. Just shows what passion and dedication can achieve. Expect character assassination and media manipulation from vested interests like Macdonalds.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:44 AM

I never thought I would either stigweard but it looks as if his campaign has worked.

A BBC article here for those who may not know what we are talking about.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:54 AM

And weren't the politicians ever so eager to jump onto the bandwagon? But for once I am grateful.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Stu
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 08:17 AM

It seens a shame our poiliticians are so bloomin' useless we have to rely on people like Oliver to champion these causes which, were our local and national authorities looking after our best interests, they would be doing anyway.

There are many national and local issues similar to these that can be sorted out by people not mired in party politics.

That said, I have just had a pre-brought pizza for my lunch, so who the hell am to say?

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 08:39 AM

Stir-fry for me; quicker, healthier and tastier.

I find Jamie extremely likeable too; were I 20 years younger and a neighbour, he'd have been a mate, I'm sure. Very down-to-earth.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: jeffp
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 09:24 AM

I've enjoyed his shows on Food Network. I'm glad to see he's putting efforts toward accomplishing worthwhile goals. Doesn't he do something with training at-risk kids for restaurant careers?

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 09:32 AM

As a parent of a school age child, I'm more than happy to see this revolution come. I remember my own primmary school dinners (no choice, no alternative, no arguments) as being mostly vegetable based, meat looked like meat, potato looked like potato and custard looked like custard. That was in the 1970's. 30 years later, meat is dinosaur shaped, potatoes are smiley face shaped and custard is an unknown entity.

There is a TV programme that accompanies this campaign, showing Jamies' struggle to get better food into one school in North London. One pupil, when questioned, said he didn't like the dishes Jamie had cooked and wanted stuff like he got at home. When asked what that was, the answer was 'chips, burgers, pizza'..... However, when given no alternative, the pupils ate the JO meals.

Sure the guy has some language issues, he has some lessons to learn about bulk cooking and menu planning, but he's proved in no uncertain terms that we are feeding our children with carb- and sugar laden kack that actually contributes to poor concentration, and paying for the priviledge.

The sickening thing is, the 'cafeteria' style school canteen came into being about 25 years ago, about the time that most 35-40yr old parents were at school... they've never known anything but the chips and burger menu.

Add to that a certain frozen food chain store that will sell you a weeks worth of frozen food for £5, and you can pretty much guarantee that a lot of children never see a raw vegetable on their plates.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 09:38 AM

the news article seems to concentrate on the cost of ingredients - but I know from experience that the cost does not always reflect the healthiness of the food.

Example - The summer camp I used to work at - we used all fresh veggies, served fruit juices rather then "fruit flavored" drinks - and served three meals plus 2 snacks a day of healthy food in quantities to satisfy hungry active teenagers. Our food budget per capita was less then 1/3 of that of several other camps in the area.

we did some "smart shopping" - tended to choose "healthy" over "convenient" - and saved money doing it!

The health inspector was awed when he saw us preparing fresh veggies! (And - as it turns out - in his 30 year career - our camp is the ONLY one he ever sat down and had a meal at!!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Dave the Gnome
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 10:33 AM

Sad thing is that the parents of little Britney or Brooklyn (come 'ere yer lickle bleeder or i'll kick yer fuckin 'ead in) will probably be up in arms. Not having my kids eating all this healthy shit. What's wrong wiv MacTuckey fried designer buns anyway?

:D

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 10:36 AM

How long til the knighthood? Excellent work. We don't need a nation of obese kids and that's the way it was going.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Liz the Squeak
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 11:18 AM

Was? Is and still will be until EVERYONE learns some decent, basic food skills, both planning, preparation and presentation.

LTS






And before the GUEST gets on my back about my fat arse again; I know! But there is a lot more to it than poor diet.... not that it should concern you.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Giok
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 11:25 AM

How quickly Tony 'Bandwagon' Blair kissed his arse, is there an election in the offing or what?
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: sian, west wales
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 04:24 PM

stigweard, the 'rest of the UK' wish is a touch Anglo-centric. I don't know about Scotland and N Ireland, but Wales has an average 49p per head expenditure already and has been looking at ways of bumping that up. I think that Powys has the highest outlay - something around 69p,if memory serves. The fact that Jamie Oliver has conveniently made this an issue just in time for Mr Blair to get some pre-election airtime is ... coincidental?

A lot of people have been working long and hard to improve the quality of institutional food, especially in rural areas of Britain. It's finally beginning to pay off - a few councils in Wales have already made big changes to the menus in schools and banned junk food dispensers. It would be a pity of Jamie Oliver got the lion's share of the credit just because he's a media darling.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens after the elections ... !

siân

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 04:40 PM

66p per capita average in Scotland
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: greg stephens
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 04:48 PM

Thank God Jamie Oliver has kicked the government into action. But like Sian West Wales says, donr foget those who've been working for this for years and getting nowhere.I sit on a few communittype committees in Stioke and plenty have people have been on about this for years. It's a pity they only listen to pretty boy celebrities(very endearing chap that he is!).

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 04:52 PM

The fact that Jamie Oliver has conveniently made this an issue just in time for Mr Blair to get some pre-election airtime is ... coincidental?

What do you think Jamie Oliver has to gain by the election? He started his iniative in Greenwich over 12 months ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Mr Red
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 04:53 PM

I think he is, for all his cockiness, up against some pretty cynical people. He seems to be astute enough to realise he is being used - and lets not be unrealistic - he was in there for his own publicity. But you can't fault him for his conviction and for all his bravure - a little gravitas is creeping.

Folk hero for sure.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:04 PM

CENSORSHIP ON MUDCAT LIVES

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 05:26 PM

Well I hope he feels better having got that of his little hollow chest!
G

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Mar 05 - 06:30 PM

Seems politicians can't win. Someone makes a convincing case no one argues with, they act, and they get slagged off for it. if they didn't act they'd also get slagged off for it. Credit where it's due please, action is being taken. We need more of it!
p.s. The education minister scares me.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 02:03 AM

yeh i think he's a splendid young man

however it does beg the question, if this sort of food is such health damaging garbage, why are they allowed to sell it?

why should the kids be protected from it and not us

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 03:13 AM

Schools are allowed to sell it because there are presently no rules or guidelines about what they can sell, only that it comes in on budget and that they don't add any more salt. Having seen the amount of salt in the 'healthy option' bag of chicken nuggets, (0.5g per 4 nuggets - a kilo bag of nuggets has 10g - 2 teaspoons of salt), I wonder how much is in the cheaper versions? Healthy option reduced salt/sugar baked beans has 0.5g salt per 100g of beans. It doesn't sound much, but when you add it all up, a plate of 8 chicken nuggets, frozen chips and baked beans can contain as much as 2.5-3g of salt, before any more is added by the consumer. That's just one meal and it's the healthy option version.

The recommended daily intake of salt for adults is 6g. For children, it's 4g. Facts and figures here. And don't think sodium is healthier, 1g of sodium = 2.5g salt.

But the killer fact - if the meals go over budget, the extra must be found from other areas within the school. If little Britney's dinner costs more than 39p worth of food, then little Chardonnay doesn't get an excercise book.

Limpit takes home made sandwiches and only has school dinners occasionally.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Big Tim
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 03:23 AM

It reminds me of "I'm Backing Britain".

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Stu
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 03:33 AM

Bore da,

"'rest of the UK' wish is a touch Anglo-centric"

Not my intention, but I honestly couldn't give a stuff as long as kids everywhere are getting decent food. Nice to see that some authorities take their child's nutrition seriously and are putting more money into school dinners.

My Auntie was a school dinner lady for years and was always worried about the paltry spending on dinners. As for the politicians, we all know they will bandwagon jump given the chance - Howard's turn today I believe.

Stigweard
(Rydw i'n dysgu Cymraeg - tipyn bach)

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 03:48 AM

My mother was as school dinnerlady.... it cost more to pay her wage for two days than it did to provide the food for the week. That is the problem that we have now. Average dinner money is £1.40 per day. Of that, an average of £1.03 goes on administration costs/wages. The remaining 37p goes on food. That's just under a quarter of the whole per day.

Some primary schools like the one Limpit goes to are lucky - they receive extra fruit to distribute. When she moves up to 'big school' (secondary education), that will vanish and she will have the option to eat chips every day.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 03:49 AM

And then we'll need to turn to the family home and what the little'uns get fed there. How to influence that? The fast food companies were ever so successful in making it fashionable to eat crap - to reverse the trend we need to make it fashionable to eat decent food.

Watch another pig fly - wasn't organic, either.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Sooz
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 03:58 AM

Young children in this neck of the woods aren't going to feel the benefit - our LEA gave up on School meals for primary schools 20 odd years ago. The 5 - 7 year olds get their free piece of fruit a day (this is available all over the country) but thats all.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 04:04 AM

a little gravitas is creeping

Isn't that the raw fish thing they have in Norway?

Can't see that catching on for school dinners...

:D

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Moses
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 05:47 AM

I have worked for ten years in a Secondary Comprehensive outer-London school in a non-teaching capacity.

Over the years I have noticed the behaviour of pupils deteriorate.

More teaching staff are now taking sick leave due to the stress of dealing with bad behaviour and more pupils are being excluded for   physical violence and verbal abuse to both staff and other pupils.

Many factors contribute to this general worsening of attitude (TV, parental discipline, peer pressure etc.) BUT anything that can reduce the agressiveness and hyperactivity must surely be a good thing.

Fizzy drinks, additive-laden junk-food and a constant supply of vending-machine snacks and sweets (all of which are available in school) cannot improve their health.

Rubbish in - rubbish out:- it applies not just to computers!!

It needed a "Jamie" to highlight what has been known for years but was perceived by many in "authority" as too great a challenge.

Who knows, his programmes just may have got through to those who's support is vital to any long-term change towards healthier eating - I refer, of course, to the parents.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 05:57 AM

But how many of those parents who complain about the junk food at school, will then proceed to serve the same sort of stuff at home?

The same parents who were introduced to the chips, burgers, beans culture back in the 1970's at their own schools.....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 06:15 AM

One thing that amazed me on this was an article on Look East a couple of nights ago. There was talk about the cooks being re-trained. The person being interviewed said something like that while the older cooks would know what they were doing, the younger ones really only know opening packets and tins.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: sian, west wales
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 06:52 AM

stiggy - da iawn, ti! I wasn't trying to take a swipe at you. It's just that people (and the Media, big time!) seem to think that what's happening in one part of Britain is the norm. If only the media would concentrate on spreading 'good practice' of everyday workers, people would know that other parts of Britain are doing things differently. Of course, the same thing applies internationally. It p***ed me off at the beginning of the year when Gordon Brown was praised for suggesting that we should consider relieving Third World debt (like he was leading the field) when Canada, Germany, and possibly others had already got stuck in ...

Ooops. Sorry. Tangent.

Re: food in packets, the same thing happens in care homes (elderly, disabled, mentally challenged, etc). A friend of mine works in one and DISPAIRS of what her fellow carers serve up to clients. One told her that she'd have to go and shop as there was nothing in for tea, and yet the fridge had eggs and bacon and raw veg. But this wasn't even on the carer's radar! She didn't have a clue how to serve up anything that wasn't in a packet! God preserve us! (Hmmm. If God chose to preserve us, would it be as a compote, or dried and salted, or ... ?)

siân

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Bill the Collie
Date: 31 Mar 05 - 09:38 PM

Didn't Scottish schools do all this a couple of years ago? I think Nick Nairn was the consultant or something - but he'd didn't make a sweary telly seies about it; that seems to have made all the difference down south.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: C-flat
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 02:18 AM

A lot of people have been working long and hard to improve the quality of institutional food, especially in rural areas of Britain. It's finally beginning to pay off - a few councils in Wales have already made big changes to the menus in schools and banned junk food dispensers. It would be a pity of Jamie Oliver got the lion's share of the credit just because he's a media darling.

sian, west wales


My partner has been fighting this battle in the North East for some years and has made great strides in improving the situation in many dining halls. The issue isn't only the content of the plate but there's also the question of getting sufficient numbers of kids to stay in school during lunchtimes.
Without the support of the parents many of these kids are going to turn their noses up at what's offered and wander down to the local "chippy", cigarette in hand, for a chip bun.
Money needs to be spent on the facilities as well as on the food and the whole thing needs to be sold to a difficult market.
I'm not criticising Jamie Oliver at all, I think he's one of the good guys, but securing the funding to put healthier food on the plates is only one aspect of the problem. There's a whole generation of junk-fooders to re-educate, many of whom aren't remotely interested in this debate.
It seems that there has been some "spin" on this £220 million of extra funding promised by Tony Blair. The claim by education secretary Ruth Kelly that this is "new money" turns out to be not the case, this money is to be "found" from the existing education budget, which adds to the feeling that Blair is simply making political gain on the back of this issue without putting in any real substance.

C-flat.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 02:32 AM

I went shopping yesterday. The supermarket - Sainsbury's, who had Jamie in their adverts - are giving vouchers for sports equipment. Been done before you say? Yes it has... by Cadburys. Eat more chocolate, get more vouchers = public outcry about encouraging children to eat sweets.

Sainsburys have taken note of this and give vouchers for every £10 spent, plus extra vouchers for every £10 spent on fresh veg and fruit. Schools benefit from extra equipment (although why they just can't donate the stuff from their profits I don't know...), families benefit (hopefully) from fresh food that the extra vouchers has hopefully encouraged them to buy. Maybe the habit will set in and they'll carry on buying fresh stuff once the vouchers disappear.

Scotland may indeed have done it, but we all know that England still has its head firmly in the sand over many health issues.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Stu
Date: 01 Apr 05 - 04:02 AM

But has he not proven in the schools in Greenwich that the kids will eat the meals? Something like 37 out of 52 schools are now dishing up one healthy meal a day to the pupils. I agree about the parents, but I think the idea is to get one good meal a day in them at least.

It must be tough for parents whose kids are targetted ruthlessly by big fast food chains peddaling fatty, starchy and sugary food. These people have trained the taste buds of kids to accept only crap.

As for Tony's spin, what did we expect? Sod him - Oliver has proved with a bit of dedication we can bypass the politicians and do the job ourselves.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,jOhn
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 02:35 PM

Your all missing the point on how this scandalous treatment of kids started,
a few years ago scool dinners were provided by the local council, at that time, all the money was spent on food [raw ingredients] and staff wages.
Then the goverment brought in competetive tendering, wherby companies were invited to tender for contracts to supply school dinners, [cheapest ones got the contract], to cut costs they served up psuedo food [reconstituted crap that a few years ago would have been thrown away],

West Yorkshire schools spend 24p per meal on raw ingredients, [you cant even buy a tin of dog food for that!

I saw the programme referred to, and was amazed to see that a few of the school dinner ladies [supposedly "cooks"!, could not even slice vegetables up, one woman was close to a nervous breakdown, after been asked to do the job she is been paid for!





It's the same situation in hospitals, contract cleaning companys bid for a contract to clean hospitals , cheapest one wins .

"We'll clean your hospital for twenty seven pounds a week"

"Ok, great, start tommorow"!


Then they get the cheapest staff, chenicals and brushes possible, and then folk wonder why hospitals are dirtier than abbatoirs, and MRSA is rife.


The money they save buy feeding kids on shite, and having dirty hospitals, the spend on stuff like opera house and dome [only cost about a billion quid.


bunch of useless bastards the lot of them, [goverment, council folks, the whole lot of them].

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Sooz
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 02:46 PM

So, jOhn - are you standing for parliament?

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,jOhn
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 02:54 PM

I might do, I heard that Mr Prescott from Hull is retiring, so i might apply for his job.
I wont work for Tony Blair though, he's a wanker, i will be a MP for the Conversatives.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST,Jill, Halifax
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 07:39 AM

Eh jOhn, did the Conservatives bring in competitive tendering?
Are you arguing against yourself by standing as a Tory MP?

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 06:35 AM

I would vote for jOhn because he is pro-smoking, pro-fox hunting,and pro-euthenasia for the over forties.

Subject: RE: BS: Jamie Oliver - Folk hero
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Apr 05 - 12:36 PM

oh.