[sorrel]

What i find difficult to understand is - I too, like john did, work on one of the most deprived estates in the Uk (unfortunately top in most of the social deprevation indices) - most of the people on our estate have no or very little money etc.  However, they eat more takeaways in a week that my family eat in a year....  I have tried talking to some and explaining a nice stew wouldnt only be healthier, but would save them a fortune.  When I go into these peoples homes I am always amazed at the litres and litres of fizzy pop, packets and packets of crisps and biscuits and never a peice of fruit in sight.  I set up a 'can cook, will cook' event as opposed to a 'cant cook, wont cook'..Provided a free creche and the idea was mums came along and learnt about nutrician and healthy eating etc.  ingedients were provided free of charge and they got to take the food home for their family....  OK - 2 people turned up despite wide publicity and a free £10 Asda voucher for everyone who came to the first session......
Also out of 900 homes on the estate I know of only ten people who grow veg despite 70% of our properties having at least a 60ft garden!!!

But i wont give up.....  I will keep banging on and trying to make a difference and help these people change their lives

[John]

When we lived on the rock - or Isle of Man as it's known - our garden was concreted over. We managed salad crops, toms, runner beans, carrots all in tubs and Val filled it with what seemed like hundreds of pots of flowers.

Actually got far better carrots like that than I've ever got in the soil.  I started this site specifically about my allotment but I'd rather be inclusive and so changed the title to Allotment & Vegetable Gardening - Perhaps it should be Allotment, Vegetable, Fruit, Herb and even the odd Flower Gardening!

I just hope the French continue to educate their children about decent food and it would be so wonderful if British schools forgot 'Food Technology' and took up cooking. And while we are at it, teach the boys that macho men know how to cook, clean and look after a baby (well maybe the last is a step too far)

[hotterotter]

The vast majority of Tv chefs aren't worth the air they breathe imo. Jamie Olivers School Dinners drew attention to the dodo that kids get fed at school but most schools already have long contracts with their existing caterers so loads of kids still get bootiful bird flu twizzlers, fizzy drinks and chips everyday. I quite like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall but admittedly while he cooks quite sensible down to earth food he's such an upper class twit it probably is lost on most folks. Imo noones recipes come anywhere close to Madhur Jaffreys

[jmx]

My mum used to cook 'from scratch' cause there was no convenience foods then (1960's) apart from 'Vesta' currys (remember them?)
I have made sure my two kids (Rachael 16 & Joseph 13) can cook, yes they do make mistakes (they've got the concentration span of an amoeba)
They incinerate things (cause they have to go on myspace or msm whilst cooking) but they can prepare veg and know about the principles of cooking.  But can they clean up afterwards? CAN THEY HELL!!!  

[WG.]

Nigella Lawson is drop-dead gorgeous; I'd watch her programmes even if she couldn't cook.

P.S. I also rate Madhur Jaffrey's food very highly but should point out that much of India might regards her as an upper class twit.

[John]

Nigella, on the other hand, is noted as a working class girl made good

Vesta curries, wonderful things when baked beans were added and half a bottle of cinzano to add flavour.  (I'm a little more sophisticated nowadays)

[WG.]

Nigella, on the other hand, is noted as a working class girl made good

She certainly is made good.

[John]

Calm down, calm down

Not my type, I'm afraid.  More of an Uma Thurman fan who is almost as good as she who must be obeyed.

[Aunt Sally]

Really boys... Aunty is shocked

[WG.]

Really boys... Aunty is shocked

Sorry Auntie, I know you are a sensitive soul.   [Phew ... glad I didn't post the first three versions I wrote]

[chutneymaster]

they are asking why folks arent cooking at home ,heres the answer you prats

someone said on one of my other sites " i am having nothing special just bacon beans n chips "s why say simply bacon n beans  chips   lovely grub the british staple meals ,, what makes me cross is these blooming chefs on tv asking why if they are doing all these fantastic recipes for the public why arent they cooking at home ,, simple ya daft wassucks cos we aint all upper middle class with upper middle class wages  our food is a good old spag boll  and even fish fingers n chips ,i havent seen a programma fro years ( delia whens she first started ) cook a proper sunday roast with all the trimmins . kids dont get cooking lessons at school no more so its a fact they see a mcdonalds as proper food . we already know they dont know where thier flipping food comes from ,,, try teaching them from scratch .. plot to plate . ggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ,, ok time out on the stairs for me

When i was a lad at school many years ago we had rural science and domestic science lessons, posh term for gardening and cooking but, when i left school i knew how to trench dig, plant vegetables, sow seeds, prune, clean the garden tools, harvest crops and then we would cook them during domestic science lessons. It was here i learnt to make pastry, cakes, cook vegetables etc. Twice a year we were expected to help in the school canteen as part of the domestic science learning curve. A large percentage of today's children can't even name vegetables let alone cook one. I encourage my grandchildren to help in the garden and in the kitchen, my nine year old grandson is quite capable of cooking a sunday roast (supervised of course) with all the trimmings and most he would have helped in planting/sowing. He already gets a buzz out of gardening, something i hope will give him a lifetimes pleasure.
Yes i totally agree with you, if the tv chefs concentrated on cooking good wholesome meat and vegetables the young house wives of today would probably follow suit and stop heading for the nearest take away.

[chutneymaster]

Nigella Lawson is drop-dead gorgeous; I'd watch her programmes even if she couldn't cook.

P.S. I also rate Madhur Jaffrey's food very highly but should point out that much of India might regards her as an upper class twit.

Didn't know she smoked cigars!!!

[WG.]

Didn't know she smoked cigars!!!

  only Havana Grissini, a little-known Cuban-Italian joint venture

[John]

I may be wrong but I thought she did smoke cigars for some reason.

Obviously she makes certain people smoke  

[slow_worm]

ok so its a rolled roast beef lump brushed with mustard and rolled loosly in aluminum foil . 120 c for 3-4 hours . last 30 mins undo the foil to brown the  beef . pressure cooked potatos for mash.skins on. stubble turnips microwaved for 6 mins with a small amount water in a micro dish with lid on ,, fresh milled pepper ,  swede , carrots, parsnip chips . roasted for last 30 mins with beef  and then winter crinkle cabbage from under tent . with purple onion gravy home made with beef juice from foil   .. a pear with custard for pudd .. one my own pears .cnference  

I am off to Munjac's for Sunday Lunch...ooops that was a few weeks ago...damn I missed it!