The latest with Jamie Oliver

[ChefWhite]

Has anyone seen Jamie Oliver's new show "Jamie's School Dinners'?

What are your opinions? One review of the show said "He cant be far away from a knighthood" imagine that!

 

[pdswife]

I haven't seen it. Is it worth watching?

 

[htc]

Is it on Food Network, or public television?

 

[ChefWhite]

Um. its on public television where I am. but thats Australia, so it might be different where you guys are. But yes its worth watching, its not just cooking recipes etc. he changes the school cafiteria menus and brings in different and healthy tasty food etc to England schools. It's pretty awesome, theres things like kids tasting strawberries and screwing the noses up, its a bit of an eye opener. School food there is a lot different to when I was in school

 

[Pam Leavy]

I haven't seen the show but have heard good things about it. It is amazing that children don't know what a potato is. They have only ever seen french fries, or chips. Many children are overweight.

I hope it comes on Dutch tv eventually.

Pam

 

[luvs]

that is sad, Pam, as a Catholic school child, i grew up very thin. Kids just weren't permitted to get fat in my early years.
in my day, you either finished your tray or had to sit down and RE-eat, but only us skinny ones.

 

[Ishbel]

that is sad, Pam, as a Catholic school child, i grew up very thin. Kids just weren't permitted to get fat in my early years.
in my day, you either finished your tray or had to sit down and RE-eat, but only us skinny ones.

Hmmmm odd kind of Catholic school you went to, Luvs.... I talk as the former pupil of a Catholic convent school...

 

[Ishbel]

The series is great - and has provoked much discussion here in the UK - and not before time, either....

Jamie did a marvellous job exposing the problems within the school dinner system here in the UK. Scotland has been lucky in that slightly more cash was available per head for healthy food than in England (but that's because we have a different education and legal system and money allocation).

The Govt has pledged to improve the school meals' system here in the UK, based on the outcry caused by Jamie's series. More power to his elbow, says I.

 

[Andy M.]

I haven't seen the show, but saw a piece about it on TV. Oliver has apparantly galvanized the country AND the politicians into actually taking steps to improve their school lunches.

In an interview he was asked if he would come to the USA and do the same here - he said yes.

Having thought about it, I think it's agreat idea. Getting a famous chef to take this as a cause could change the way the younger generation eats. Imagine, healthier eating habits than the fried food and 'ketchup is a vegetable' lunches they are being served now!

I'll go a step further and nominate Emeril as the US focal point. The reason I choose him is his overriding popularity. There is no one in the culinary world as universally well known as he. Also, parents and kids both seem to like him.

What does everyone else think? Should we start a letter-writing campaign?

 

[amber]

While Emeril is popular, he is also overweight, and does not cook healthy meals on his show. Jamie would be a great candidate to revamp the U.S. school lunch programs.

 

[Ishbel]

Jamie is young and the young certainly relate to him, judging by his success with his series about his restaurant '15' which trained young, disadvantaged youngsters as chefs.

The school dinner series was really interesting, as many of the children used the old saw 'I don't like it cos I've never tried it' - and the 'it' could be a vegetable like a leek or an onion! I couldn't believe the standard of food that some of those children are fed by school AND parents.