Jamie Oliver says:

“The more we care about what we eat, the better for us, our families and the country.”

Who is Jamie Oliver anyway? Well, if you like food and enjoy cooking shows, you’ll know that he’s a phenomenon in the world of food. Jamie is  “one of Britain’s most famous exports,” and you may have heard of the television series The Naked Chef (BBC), a huge success around the world.

Jamie is one of those Gutsy people who followed his passion at a young age. If you’ve watched him on TV, you can’t help but be charmed by his enthusiasm for food, cooking, and educating all of us, especially children about the importance of eating healthy.

“My biggest passion has been, and remains, food education.”

From what I’ve read about Jamie, he has a very close relationship with his parents and I admire them for letting him follow his passion at a young age. Jamie quit school at 16 and started his training at Westminster Catering College. He has inspired people to spend more time enjoying being in the kitchen, and even start growing their own food.

“I was lucky enough to be brought up by parents who placed a lot of importance on traditional values and sharing those life skills.”

Jamie believes in the importance of having family dinners and I completely agree with him. He says he’s shocked by how many families don’t even have a dinner table. He wants to change this and claims that:

“Carving out the time at least once a week to cook a meal and sit down around the table with your family has endless benefits, even in modern-day life.”

It’s a wonderful opportunity to share and I admit that our meals around a dinner table when my sons were all home, especially when we lived in Belize, and didn’t have TV, resulted in some wonderful memories.

“Being knowledgeable about where food comes from and how it affects your body is one of the most important life skills we can teach them.”

During his trips around the world, Jamie says there are many people who have no clue where their food comes from. I remember when he spoke to some children at a school in New York who had no idea that french fries came from a potato, and who didn’t know what an apple or a potato looked like.

“With so many parents working today, it’s easy to grab ready-made pre-packaged meals that are not good for our bodies, nutritionally.”

That’s why Jamie is on a mission to ensure that every 16-year-old knows about food and can turn a pile of ingredients into a delicious meal. Jamie is optimistic however, and claims there is a growth in real foodies, both young and old, who shop at farmers’ markets and are passionate about fresh ingredients. There are some positive changes in Britain, where  McDonald’s is only selling free-range eggs and organic milk in an effort to support British producers. I did a Google search on McDonald’s in the U.S, and whether they also serve organic eggs and milk, and nothing popped up. Jamie says:

“These companies aren’t necessarily doing these things in other countries, they’re doing them here, for us – because British consumers have become more educated and are demanding it.”

Imagine my excitement to see Jamie mention the importance of ” an individual or a family that have the guts to travel halfway round the world, set up a new life and make a go of it.”

So what does this have to do with food?

“Everything.”

Everything we eat today can be traced back in history, either through invasion, exploration, colonization and immigration.

I remember reading that even Queen Elizabeth, when she visited Belize, tasted Gibnut and thought it tasted just like chicken.

 Photo credit

The whole concept of a pie originated in Egypt and was brought to us by the Romans via the Greeks. Burgers come from America via Germany through Russia.

Do you cook from scratch? Do you enjoy cooking or do you buy mostly pre-packaged food? What about organic products?