Everything Girl

Jamie Oliver is  a man with so much going on I’m not sure how he finds time to sleep. His boyish charm, down-to-earth personality, great heart and exceptional skills in the kitchen make him the ideal Man of the Moment for December. How can you not swoon over a family man who aims to make a difference through his passion for food? We were lucky enough to get a few moments of his time to ask him some questions.

You grew up in a pub owned by your dad, The Cricketers, and obviously food has played an important role in your life from a young age, but when did you realize that you wanted to cook?

I got into cooking from when I was about 6. I’d grown up with all the smells and the sounds from the pub kitchen and I just wanted to get involved. Dad got me working - just washing up and scrubbing vegetables - and as soon as I was old enough to get involved in the actual cooking, that’s when I could really start helping out.

If you hadn’t become a chef, what would you have done?

Been a carpenter. It was the only other thing I was any good at.

Your first show was The Naked Chef and where Britain really got introduced to Jamie Oliver. How did that come about?

It was pure chance. I was working at the River Cafe and I was supposed to have the day off but someone called in sick so they phoned me up and I went in. There was a film crew there and they spent quite a lot of time filming me but I didn’t really pay much attention to it. When the programmed went out, there was loads of stuff of me and then the next day I started getting all these calls at the restaurant from TV companies wanting to talk to me. I thought it was my mates having a laugh.

The Naked Chef was merely the beginning. You are involved in a number of projects, all aiming to make a difference in some way, from Fifteen to school dinners and speaking out about battery farming chickens, and now of course, Ministry of Food. What drives you to do these projects?

I’m passionate about food and I’m always having ideas and with something like Fifteen, I was just at a point where the catering industry had given me some great opportunities and I wanted to give something back.

It seems odd to me that you have had to, at times, defend your projects all of which are for a good purpose. Does this discourage your plans? How do you deal with the negative attitudes and press towards some of your projects?

To be honest, I don’t really read the press.

Your most recent project, Ministry of Food is all about getting people who don’t cook or have never cooked, into the kitchen to prepare good, home-cooked meals. What was the catalyst to this project?

A lady called Julie Critchlow. When I was doing School Dinners, I went into lots of homes and saw kids eating chips and microwave meals and take-aways - sometimes every day. When I started talking to the parents, I realised that they couldn’t cook because no-one had taught them, so we had a generation growing up with no hope of being able to feed themselves well. Julie was one of the ladies in Rotherham who was feeding kids chips and sandwiches through the school gates when the school had locked the kids in for lunch. So I started thinking that the home was like the holy grail of cooking and that if I could inspire people to cook there, I could really make a difference.

“I think that food is so important and amazing to me that I just want people to share that love for it. “

As someone who has bought your book for the sole reason of not being a good cook, what advice do you have for me, and others, who are just starting to cook, or feel they will never be able to cook?

Just take it slowly and don’t panic if you don’t get it right first time. Maybe start with a simple recipe and once you’ve mastered that move on to something else. But cooking food should be enjoyable - not a chore.

An important part of Ministry of Food is the idea of “Pass it On”. How can we encourage people to pass it on, especially in today’s world where it seems there is no time for anything?

There are various ways but the simplest way is to see which of your mates can’t cook and then invite yourself round to their house - you bring the ingredients, they provide the drinks and you teach them a recipe in a chilled, comfortable environment.

Admittedly I’m a huge fan, but I believe many people are drawn to you and your projects because you not only seem approachable, but you seem to truly care about the projects and people you are involved in. Ministy of Food is no exception. What makes you care so much about other people improving their eating habits and lives, when so often the people you are trying to help don’t seem to care at all?

I think that food is so important and amazing to me that I just want people to share that love for it. We have to eat to live and in our countries we are lucky to have the most fantastic variety of foods to try. I can’t understand why people wouldn’t want to learn to cook simple, delicious, affordable food.

With your TV shows, products, books, restaurants, 2 beautiful girls and a 3rd child on the way (congratulations!), how do you juggle it all?

I have seven weeks holiday a year and nearly every weekend free just to spend with the family. The rest of the time I work hard but I love what I do.

When you do find time to relax, how do you spend that time?

Weekends really. Just playing with the kids, cooking for family and friends, catching a movie. Sometimes play a bit of poker. The usual stuff.

What is a food you could not live without?

Italian

For more about Jamie and his various projects, visit his website JamieOliver.com or pick up the brand new Jamie Magazine which has just launched!

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