[jane1264]

I can't remember how I learnt to cook - think I just picked it up from my mum and then when I got to 16 and went to sixth form college I got home before my parents finished work - neither of them were around until well past 6.00pm - if we wanted a meal at a decent time (and me and my brother always did!) we just got down to it and cooked what ever mum had left out.
Having said that I rarely cook these days - being lucky enough to have found a man who loves to cook!  when I first met him he had been living in hotels for about 12 months (contracting) and made the fatal mistake of saying how much he loved cooking - I pointed in the direction of the kitchen and have never looked back!
My daughter cooks occassionally - she made a full meal for her friends when they came over to sleep one night - prawn cocktail for starter, spag bol for main course (put me to shame because she did it from scratch and didn't use a ready made sauce!), and chocolate mouse for pudding, she also made Winter Vegetable cream soup for starter at Christmas!  We supervise the use of knives and the cooker 'cos she's only 12, make sure she's read the receipe correctly (being dyslexic sometimes things can go astray if we don't!) but other then that she does it herself.
she has never done cooking at school - she cooks because people she knows cooks and because we regularly sit down and eat meals together not just us 3 but with both my parents and my husbands parents.  We shouldn't have to rely on schools to teach us these life skills surely that is the role of parents - however hard they work.  

Jane

[wellingtons]

... Brian Turner cook a leg of mutton this week ... and he talked about having the leftovers cold with a bit of piccalilli and some boiled spuds.

I think he could be Muntjac's kinda celebrity chef.  

I don't actually think that celebrity chef's are all bad.  When my son was younger, he was absolutely glued to one of the series of Gary Rhodes, he absolutely loved him.  Jims had always cooked with me a bit, but it was Gary Rhodes who got him interested in trying to cook more, trying more adventurous food and recipes.  He is now a fairly competent cook at 16.

When his mates came round before a party and I asked if they wanted to stay for dinner, they were all gobsmacked that Jims produced garlic and chilli chicken and rice for 6.  A combination of plain home cooking and the whizzy food the celebs knock out on the tv is probably where my son is in terms of his abilities.

[sorrel]

i cant believe how may people dont bother cooking these days,  I spend hours cooking and really love it - trouble is I now feed half of my hubby's workmates as most of there wives dont cook.  So they place an order with me (usually a curry, chilli or shepherds pie).

It's really quite scary that so many people cant cook a sunday roast and i think it will be even worse for future generations.  For example my daughters have a 'cooking lesson' at school so far they have made pizzas (3 times, one time they just took a ready made one in to warm up!) they have made cheese on toast (ok very nice but hardly difficult)!  Flapjacks, cookies and shortbread - and then they worry about childhood obesity and eating fat rich,sugar laden processed food!  mmmmmm.   I actually had one of my daughters friends for tea recently and she looked at the Broccoli i had served up and said "Sorry but I've never ate little trees before" - she didnt know what it was.

[GrannieAnnie]

When I ran a little site canteen for Taylor Woodrow on the local Tesco new extension, the previous caterer had only done extensions of breakfast, like egg rolls, bacon rolls, sausage in a roll, or burgers and chips.  I tried to make it a bit better for them, so every day I would do something different, like Tuesday was curry day, Wednesday was shepherds pie day, Friday was fish and chip day and apart from the fish and chips everything was made from scratch.  The lads loved it, especially the 3 days I've just mentioned, but I'd cook a bit of pork too and they could have it with chips or veg, but mostly they still loved their chips.

They said they mised me when the job finished! awwwwww

[annie2006]

one decent outcome thanks to celebrity chefs - the revolution in school dinners. however, i bought jamie olivers school dinners cookbook for my sister in law who has three kids and can't get past the chicken dippers in the supermarket, thinking it would have lots of 'proper' food recipes in - but it was still a bit on the 'posh nosh' side with a list of ingredients to make a roast chicken that would take me an hour round asda just to buy! consequently daren't give her the book as it would put her off cooking for life!

[shaun]

school dinners yes but when dinner ladies check your kids lunch box to see whats in there thats a bit too much hes a dodo cook anyway  :evil:

[muntjac]

i love cooking n brian turner is a basic  home food cook .but when he trys to cook artyfarty he puts me off . who can turn down a big pan of shackles or a toad in the hole with home grown veggies ?not me id rather have that then the dodo thye chage £100 for and leave ya starving after

[king cauli]

brian t aint all that,someone i know works in his bham restraunt and he aint doin many covers,its like you say,the honest stuff is good,but the poncey stuff is cactrophus,but perhaps that is our own prefference of food,something hearty not farty the worst of the worst t.v chef for me has to be ainsley,what an bum :!: like some of ramseys stuff,but then again lot of poncy stuff aswell,even hugh fernly-whittingstool gets a bit poncy now and again,i wouldnt give my child any processed cac,not unless it was processed by me,last night it was lamb chops,boiled and roast pots,carrots,sweetcorn,peas,cabbage,green beans,propper gravy and some fresh mint sauce, hey  :shock:  nigella lawson is quite good ,nice portions of propper grub,dont think i can fault her cooking,but hey ,ainsley's earning,the swine

[muntjac]

oh ur squirrel recipe cauli mate lolo

6 squirrels
1 bag egg noodles
2 mugs  corn flakes
1 stick butter, divided
 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
 1 cup flour
 2 cans chicken broth
 1 tsp thyme
 1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
 2 cups shredded mozarella cheese
couple big spanish onions chopped n fried  

Boil the squirrels in a large pot until the meat starts to fall off the bones. Remove and cool. When cool debone. Set aside.

While the squirrels are cooking, cook the noodles per package directions. Drain and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt 1/4 stick of butter. Stir in the cornflakes, garlic powder and onion powder. Heat until crispy.

Spread the cornflakes in the bottom of a greased casserole dish.

In a saucepan, melt the remaining butter. Add the flour and brown just a little. Add the chicken broth and stir until thick.

Remove from heat and add the thyme, salt, pepper, squirrel meat and noodles. Mix well.

Pour the mixture evenly over the cornflakes. Top with the cheese and the fried onions.

Bake for 45 minutes at 300 degrees.

[Losttheplot]

eeuurghh!  not the recipie but the squirrels!  You can't beat Delia.  I have her cookery course book and it is still a bible in our house.  taught me evrything about proper cooking!

[tetley]

I reckon that before we left UK, we were a typical example of an english family.  Both in our 30s, 2 kids under 10, husband worked fulltime, i worked part time.  Kids did swimming lessons on a Friday(fish'n'chip night).  We had takeaway at least twice a week, I would cook a full meal (something from scratch) once or twice a week and the rest of the time it was fish fingers and beans or something similar.
Now we live in deepest darkest france and you have to drive 20 minutes to the nearest supermarket you have to be inventive and nothing goes to waste (I think back in horror at the amount of wasted veggies that went in the bin  :oops: at least now i have the compost heap   ).  The supermarket does not have a huge range of ready meals, and fruit and veg are seasonal....something I forget when I am looking through my cookery books for something different.
In the UK you have so much choice....TOO much choice, and too much in the way of 'convenience' food.  I was speaking to my husband the other night and I came up with the idea of having a basket of veggies pre packed with a pretty recipe card suggesting a cut of meat or wine that is on offer that week, ...there you go, a 'ready meal' to feed a family of 4 for a fiver.  From my experience, people like to be able to go into a shop and just grab something for dinner....you get fed up thinking of what to cook and what to buy every single day.  If your choice is limited you eat better....that's my opinion anyway

[ytyynycefn]

In the UK you have so much choice....TOO much choice, and too much in the way of 'convenience' food.  ............ From my experience, people like to be able to go into a shop and just grab something for dinner....you get fed up thinking of what to cook and what to buy every single day.  If your choice is limited you eat better....that's my opinion anyway

Good rant, Tetley    

I think that good homecooked food just isn't part of the British culture for a certain demographic - advertisers have been ramming down peoples throats that they can "have it all" - money, holidays, cars, carreer etc, and something just has to give - and it's usually "home time" that gets it.  So the ready meal is an answer to many busy people's prayers, I suppose.

Personally, when I go shopping, I just get what I need from the produce bit, then the milk'n'cheese bit, then the bread bit!  With the odds and sods like oil, bog roll after that - I don't even bother looking at the pre-prepared stuff, cos I don't especially like it.  We'll have fish and chips once a week or so (our chippy is three doors away and cooks it fresh to order) but rarely have any other takeaways because we feel really lousy the next day - probably down to salt, msg and other additives which we're just not that used to eating.  We had a pizza the other month from our usual place and just felt so toxic after - we've had similar things with chinese and to a lesser extent curry.  But then I can make a very simple  one using a ciabatta (49p in Lidl), tomato puree (24p) and mozarella (45p) that will feed all three of us - usually I make a tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, and add all sorts of veggies - but basically you can make a simple meal for three for £1.23.  Just as quick as a ready meal and has to be better for you  

[muntjac]

your only eating the processing in that dodo the food left when they cooked the tins

[John]

Tetley is partially right - we have too much choice but we also have a lot of ignorant people. I worked on a rough estate where there were people living on benefits eating ready meals, pizza being delivered etc. Their houses had fairly big gardens - just wilderness.
They could have saved a packet by just cooking and really good food by growing a few veg or even just some salad crops in the back <sigh>
The French are slowly being taken over though - Maccies all over the place, ready meals appearing in some supermarkets. Perhaps its all the Brits over there

[tetley]

 you are probably right John....on both counts!  I remember when I was doing a childcare course, and was told that alot of mums (who needed help and education), thought a balanced supper would be a packet of crisps and a yoghurt.  Educations is the key here.  
I believe in my old local comprehensive we were the last year to have home economics... we did a term of cooking, woodwork, technical drawing, typing and metalwork, then you had to choose your subject for the following year.  Do they do this in schools anymore?  brilliant experience, I learnt how to use a saw, something I never thought I would have to use again in my lifetime, but, which I have had to use over the last couple of years.  I left school in 1985.  
Speaking of mcD's, there are 3 in our nearest city....no escape is there?
I had never dreamt of growing veg before I came here, always thought my garden was too small, now of course I realise that it can never be too small.  You don't have to have an allotment either.
There must be so many people with the same outlook I had, and they are all missing out!
I persuaded my brother in law last year,to grow some veggies.....actually I think he thought....well if she can do it........  they haven't got a big garden, but he grew beans and tomatoes for his first batch, and he is going to expand on that this year.