Let me start by saying, I'm well aware of the furore around Jamie Oliver's latest book and TV series, or should I say, more his comments that were well-publicised in the press. I think we all saw the "Jamie tells the poor to eat stale bread" headline shockers (yes, yes...in a panzanella or for breadcrumbs and croutons where stale bread is perfect, he's not suggesting you send your children to school with manky sandwiches). I'm not really going to get into that here but I am going to say I like Jamie Oliver. I don't always agree with everything that he says but I do find myself agreeing with some things. I think his heart is in the right place. I enjoy his cookbooks and have always been pleased with how the food turns out. Some of our favourite family meals are Jamie Oliver recipes. There.
I haven't actually seen any of the Save with Jamie TV series yet but it's all Sky+, ready and waiting. I was pleased to receive a copy of his book for review back in August as I would have bought it anyway being a bit of a Jamie Oliver devotee when it comes to cooking.
Save With Jamie comes with the tagline - Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less. Definitely three things I need to get to grips with, as I am rubbish on all fronts. With this new book Jamie aims to show you to how to make better choices, shop more economically (a must in these times of increased financial pressure and soaring food costs) and how to get the most of your ingredients and leftovers. In typical Jamie style though he doesn't want to compromise on comfort and flavours.
The book starts with an intro, some details about store-cupboard items, hints on how to shop smart and the much talked about "What You Need" list. Yes, if you went out to buy all this in one go it would be £££ however I'd say most of us would have a very high percentage in our kitchen, even if you're not a massive home cook, so it's not nearly as outrageous as was made out in the press.
The recipe are then split into section Veg, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Fish and Bonus Recipes. First thought is there's not a whole amount here for you if you're a non-meat, non-fish eater. Luckily I don't fall into that group!
The recipes that have made it on to my "must cook" list so far are;
- Hungover Noodles
- My Sag Aloo
- Smokin' Chicken Chowder
- Mexican Caesar Salad
- Korean Stir-Fried Rice
- Mexican Beef Chilli
- Mince & Onion Pie
- Meatballs Alla Norma
- Sausage Panzanella
- Lovely Lamb Pie
- Tasty Salmon Tacos
- Salmon Filo Pie
- Fantastic Fish Tikka Curry
That's definitely enough for starters! I think the fish tikka curry might make it onto this weeks meal planning actually. I've been looking for a good fish curry recipes for ages. I will report back!
Save With Jamie is a cookbook full of easy, straightforward recipes in Jamie's usual fun and enthusiastic style. I should imagine this will get lots of use in our house in the future.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this book or TV series if you've been watching. Have you tried any of the recipes?
PS On one page Jamie asks the most scandalous question of all...
I don't know what he means?!
I like Jamie too and think that he does get some amount of stick from people. I agree that I think his heart is in the right place & he is well meaning. I was on a forum where they just ripped him to shreds stating that they could not afford to buy the beef that was £14 but he was using it to feed 8-10 people so it wasn't that scandalous. I don't think it is for people with limited budgets but for people like myself where when it comes to budgeting and wasting less food well I'm a bit crap at it. It's definitely a book that I will be thinking of buying :)
ReplyDeleteI saw one of these programmes and the lady he visited was pretty well off, although wasted a lot of food that got thrown away. They made the Panzenella then. I think that there would be greater value working with people on a very restricted budget who couldn't afford to fill their fridge in the first place, but I think the furore over this is a waste of energy. I like Jamie and he's not a bad bloke.
ReplyDeleteI have been enjoying the programme over the last few weeks. However, as you mention, it's very strange how few vegetarian options there are. As we all now, veggie dishes are a great (and tasty and healthy) way to save the pennies - falafels, humus, veggie stir fry, pea and onion pasta bake etc.
ReplyDeleteYes, it did jump out at me that there wasn't much veggie. I don't do a whole lot of veggie food but this book wouldn't be much used to those that do!
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't really think it's a budget book, more how to waste less food and save some money at the same time.
ReplyDeleteAgree that it's not for limited budgets but people who can afford good cuts of meat etc still need to learn how to cut waste and save money. I'm terrible at wasting food.
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