Jamie on fast forward
Barely a year goes by without another super-successful foodie offering from Jamie Oliver. And 2012 is no different. This month sees the launch of Jamie’s latest recipe book and its accompanying TV show.
Following on from 30 Minute Meals in 2010, 37-year-old Jamie has given himself what he regards as the biggest challenge of his career and is about to publish Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals. As he explains: ‘People are screaming out for another time-saving book. The public is time-poor but their expectations are pretty high.
Everything has gone up a few gears, people want tasty food and they want it fast. This is probably the hardest work I’ve ever done. I wanted the book to be about delicious food that can be ready in 15 minutes or less but, for the first time, I wanted it to be nutritionally and calorfically in check. That was a huge challenge.’
The book features Jamie’s usual contemporary dishes, with a twist on traditional favourites. He uses the recipes himself – often to keep out of trouble at home – and says, ‘I still find cooking relaxing even if I’ve done 10 hours in a kitchen. But I cook 15-minute meals when I’m supposed to be home at 7.30pm and Jools is looking forward to dinner, and I get back at 9pm!’
Jamie is adamant his latest book will be his final experiment with time, but he’s keen for readers to use the recipes on a daily basis. ‘I want people to cook from it seven days a week. I’ve written the recipes using various strategies and short cuts that really work, and choosing ingredients found in supermarkets. And I’ve tried to make the argument for home-cooked food. Pre-packed meals and fast food are getting better but there’s still a fair amount of rubbish out there.’
Given his long hours and demanding job, you might expect Jamie to be a fan of takeaway food himself. But, he says, he still prefers to pull on his apron when he gets home. ‘I don’t often order takeaways. It’s not because I don’t see the use and because there aren’t any good ones – some places do it quite well. Takeaways simply aren’t that quick. You either have to go somewhere to fetch it or wait, and anywhere I phone from home isn’t going to deliver quicker than I can knock up some pasta and a decent salad. Forget ordering in – the best luxury I have is a dishwasher.’
Though he’s arguably one of our most popular chefs, with his books remaining bestsellers for years after publication, Jamie isn’t above keeping an eye on the competition, and his current favourites are women. ‘Lorraine Pascale is doing a good job, she’s popular. It’s nice to see more girls coming through on TV. I think there are too many men. I’ve watched The Great British Bake Off and Mary Berry is great. Something about baking brings out the best in everyone and Mary’s a national institution. Marguerite Patten is too, and even Delia Smith – these are great British women who’ve been doing it a long, long time – they’re of the people, and I love that.’
Talking of women, Jamie’s wife Jools has been at his side and a huge support to him since long before the Naked Chef bounded into our living rooms 15 years ago. After having the couple’s four children (Poppy, 10, Daisy, nine, Petal, three, and two-year-old Buddy) it’s recently emerged that Mrs Oliver has a project of her own to follow. Jamie confirmed that Jools has decided to re-ignite her interest in middle-distance running and she has a much higher pain threshold than he does.
‘Jools used to run a lot when she was younger and I think she felt she never gave it her best shot. When we go running together she doesn’t feel the same sort of pain as I do but I guess women are a bit tougher than men about that sort of thing after having babies and stuff.’
A proud Jamie will be cheering Jools on when she starts to enter competitions. ‘The 800 and 1,500 metres are her events. She’s working with her trainer and she has her first meet in a few weeks. I’m going to support her – I’ve never really seen her do anything like that before. Like we saw at the Olympics, the young ones have so much fire in their bellies but Jools will be doing her best to keep up.’
While his wife is pulling on her trainers, Jamie’s famous project to improve the quality of food in our children’s schools is something he still feels incredibly passionate about, seven years on. ‘The big fight that I’ve got at the moment is that most secondary schools are registered academies [which have the right to opt out of nationally mandated nutritional standards], and the Government has taken away the standards that we were working hard to reach and maintain. As an expert, I think that’s completely wrong. We’ve had research from the School Food Trust and standards are beginning to drop.’
It’s clear that Jamie’s campaign for better school dinners remains close to his heart and he can’t help but get angry. ‘The vast majority of kids in this country go to state-run schools and eat school meals five days a week from the ages of four to 18, and the food on offer is not good enough. I wish parents would get more annoyed. By nature, I’m not a whinger: I’m generally a doer but this is very frustrating.’
Despite his relentless campaigning, broadcasting, expanding restaurant empire and recipe-book production line, Jamie swears he doesn’t have a master plan and is still deliberating on his next project. ‘I’m much less organised than people think. I don’t really ever know where my next idea will come from,’ he says.
And whatever it is, it’s bound to be delicious.
Jamie's 15 Minute Meals is published by Micheal Joseph, priced £26. The TV series of the same name starts on Channel 4 later this month.
Following on from 30 Minute Meals in 2010, 37-year-old Jamie has given himself what he regards as the biggest challenge of his career and is about to publish Jamie’s 15 Minute Meals. As he explains: ‘People are screaming out for another time-saving book. The public is time-poor but their expectations are pretty high.
Everything has gone up a few gears, people want tasty food and they want it fast. This is probably the hardest work I’ve ever done. I wanted the book to be about delicious food that can be ready in 15 minutes or less but, for the first time, I wanted it to be nutritionally and calorfically in check. That was a huge challenge.’
The book features Jamie’s usual contemporary dishes, with a twist on traditional favourites. He uses the recipes himself – often to keep out of trouble at home – and says, ‘I still find cooking relaxing even if I’ve done 10 hours in a kitchen. But I cook 15-minute meals when I’m supposed to be home at 7.30pm and Jools is looking forward to dinner, and I get back at 9pm!’
Jamie is adamant his latest book will be his final experiment with time, but he’s keen for readers to use the recipes on a daily basis. ‘I want people to cook from it seven days a week. I’ve written the recipes using various strategies and short cuts that really work, and choosing ingredients found in supermarkets. And I’ve tried to make the argument for home-cooked food. Pre-packed meals and fast food are getting better but there’s still a fair amount of rubbish out there.’
Given his long hours and demanding job, you might expect Jamie to be a fan of takeaway food himself. But, he says, he still prefers to pull on his apron when he gets home. ‘I don’t often order takeaways. It’s not because I don’t see the use and because there aren’t any good ones – some places do it quite well. Takeaways simply aren’t that quick. You either have to go somewhere to fetch it or wait, and anywhere I phone from home isn’t going to deliver quicker than I can knock up some pasta and a decent salad. Forget ordering in – the best luxury I have is a dishwasher.’
Though he’s arguably one of our most popular chefs, with his books remaining bestsellers for years after publication, Jamie isn’t above keeping an eye on the competition, and his current favourites are women. ‘Lorraine Pascale is doing a good job, she’s popular. It’s nice to see more girls coming through on TV. I think there are too many men. I’ve watched The Great British Bake Off and Mary Berry is great. Something about baking brings out the best in everyone and Mary’s a national institution. Marguerite Patten is too, and even Delia Smith – these are great British women who’ve been doing it a long, long time – they’re of the people, and I love that.’
Talking of women, Jamie’s wife Jools has been at his side and a huge support to him since long before the Naked Chef bounded into our living rooms 15 years ago. After having the couple’s four children (Poppy, 10, Daisy, nine, Petal, three, and two-year-old Buddy) it’s recently emerged that Mrs Oliver has a project of her own to follow. Jamie confirmed that Jools has decided to re-ignite her interest in middle-distance running and she has a much higher pain threshold than he does.
‘Jools used to run a lot when she was younger and I think she felt she never gave it her best shot. When we go running together she doesn’t feel the same sort of pain as I do but I guess women are a bit tougher than men about that sort of thing after having babies and stuff.’
A proud Jamie will be cheering Jools on when she starts to enter competitions. ‘The 800 and 1,500 metres are her events. She’s working with her trainer and she has her first meet in a few weeks. I’m going to support her – I’ve never really seen her do anything like that before. Like we saw at the Olympics, the young ones have so much fire in their bellies but Jools will be doing her best to keep up.’
While his wife is pulling on her trainers, Jamie’s famous project to improve the quality of food in our children’s schools is something he still feels incredibly passionate about, seven years on. ‘The big fight that I’ve got at the moment is that most secondary schools are registered academies [which have the right to opt out of nationally mandated nutritional standards], and the Government has taken away the standards that we were working hard to reach and maintain. As an expert, I think that’s completely wrong. We’ve had research from the School Food Trust and standards are beginning to drop.’
It’s clear that Jamie’s campaign for better school dinners remains close to his heart and he can’t help but get angry. ‘The vast majority of kids in this country go to state-run schools and eat school meals five days a week from the ages of four to 18, and the food on offer is not good enough. I wish parents would get more annoyed. By nature, I’m not a whinger: I’m generally a doer but this is very frustrating.’
Despite his relentless campaigning, broadcasting, expanding restaurant empire and recipe-book production line, Jamie swears he doesn’t have a master plan and is still deliberating on his next project. ‘I’m much less organised than people think. I don’t really ever know where my next idea will come from,’ he says.
And whatever it is, it’s bound to be delicious.
Jamie's 15 Minute Meals is published by Micheal Joseph, priced £26. The TV series of the same name starts on Channel 4 later this month.