Food for thought (From Stroud News and Journal)

Food for thought

HATS off to chef Jamie Oliver who has single-handedly brought about the demise of the turkey twister in school canteens throughout the country.

This processed concoction, laden with colours and preservatives bears virtually no resemblance to meat at all.

Yet it is symbolic of what school dinners have become.

The pukka TV chef should be knighted for his tireless crusade to reintroduce real food to people who have grown up on and are hooked on ping cuisine from the microwave.

The nation fell in love with him when he burst onto the TV screens with his down to earth geezer persona back in the 1990s.

But rather than take the money and run he used his street credibility to try and halt the rot that has overtaken our relationship with food in this country. He is passionate about fresh ingredients and real food and despite a sometimes hostile reception from youngsters he hangs on in there.

In Jamie's School Dinners currently being broadcast on TV he is seen in a school canteen holding up a breadcrumbed piece of meat in the shape of a foot. Now what's that all about?

My son, who was once passionate about cooking, now has absolutely no interest after doing a GCSE in food technology.

After spending two years analysing the topping and the base of a pizza he was left bored rigid and despite the ingredients costing a small ransom every fortnight, we were never presented with anything that could even masquerade as a meal.

What happened to domestic science in schools? My own mother often sent me off to school with some mince and potatoes or a few cooking apples and flour and expected and got something back a shepherd's pie or apple crumble that the family could eat that night.

In Europe schools spend around £2.50 a head on school meals. Here we try to do it for under 40p.

Despite this meagre sum, it can still be done if we go back to basics and teach people how to cook properly.

With farmers markets all over the place bursting with fresh produce there's really no excuse.

It's cheaper than convenience food, it doesn't take any longer, really, and its a lot better for our health.