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Jamie gets his message across in Rotherham |
It’s all proper pucker, but is it a can of worms?
Clare Latimer asks if Jamie and Delia have gone too far in their quest teach us what’s what
YEAR'S ago Delia Smith did a fantastic job of teaching us “what was what” in the cooking world and we should all be grateful.
Jamie Oliver has also been a “pucker, straight up, no messing” chef and has brought great fun into the cooking and telly world.
But have they gone too far in trying to get everyone cooking proper food? I very much behind what they are trying to do but if you remember I slated Delia’s tinned mince meat and her last TV series. Now I am not sure what Jamie is doing.
His Ministry of Food (Channel 4, Tuesdays) where he finds families in Rotherham who feed their children from takeaway boxes and have never even boiled water somehow grates with me. One woman burst into tears saying she could not afford to buy fresh food but then went straight to her cigarette packet which says it all to me.
Jamie is trying to do a good job but has he opened a can of worms that will just show people up and not sort out the problem? Keep watching and we will find out.
And what the heck were Channel 4 doing advertising tomato ketchup in the break when Jamie was knocking it on the programme?
Delia and Jamie are certainly committed to educating the country into better eating and they are two truly British cook/chefs. As it’s British Food Fortnight I’m going to give you two best of British recipes that tie in with this time of year.
Both are cheap, easy and very quick to prepare and can be reheated and eaten at any time.
Autumn vegetable soup
This is such an easy dish to make and is perfect for a busy family who eat at different times. It can just be reheated in portions when anyone is ready to eat. For veggies, just omit the meat and change the stock cube. So healthy, easy and tasty. You can also freeze it in portions. A tin of tomatoes can be added if you wish.
Ingredients
Serves 8-10
1 desp olive oil
350g chuck steak, cut into small pieces
450g potatoes, peeled and finely diced
3 red onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 leeks, washed well and cut into thin slices
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 small cabbage, shredded finely
1 small cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 litres water
1 beef stock cube
Sprig of thyme/oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Method
Put the butter and oil into a large heavy based saucepan and then fry the meat browning on all sides. Add all the prepared vegetables into the saucepan and stir over a low heat for a few minutes.
Now add the water and the stock cube along with the herbs and stir well. Season with the salt and pepper, cover and then simmer over a gentle heat for 1½ hours. Check the seasoning and then serve.
Autumn Lucy pudding
This is a version of Apple Charlotte but in this case forget Charlotte and bring on Lucy. Lucy is someone certainly not conventional, never does something twice and is a one off. She’s a good friend originally from Zimbabwe and this is what she concocted while we were in Cornwall. Nothing is weighed, to stick to her way of living. I have added a few ingredients but don’t tell her! You could rhubarb or plums – so have a go, it’s easy, cheap and delicious.
Ingredients
Serves 4
3 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 handfuls blackberries
3 desp white sugar
6 thin slices white bread
Lots of Butter
1 desp soft brown sugar.
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Put the prepared apple and blackberries into a deep pie dish and sprinkle over the white sugar. Spread the slices of bread with a generous amount of butter and layer over the fruit. Press down lightly to make a secure top, then sprinkle over the brown sugar.
Bake in the oven for about half an hour or until the top is golden brown and the fruit is cooked. Serve with cream or ice cream. |
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