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cherry blossom delight · 06-28-2008, 10:21 PM

Jamie TV series tackles state of British Cooking
Having taken on school dinners and intensively-reared chicken and battery eggs, Jamie Oliver is now tackling what could be his biggest challenge yet for a major Channel 4 TV series: the state of British cooking.

Inspired by the Ministry of Food, which was set up to reduce malnutrition during World War II and resulted in the British public being fitter than they are today, Jamie wants to tackle what Britain eats at home. The four-part series is due to broadcast this autumn.

Oliver is kicking off the campaign by trying to help people in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham who can't or won't cook. He hopes to roll out a nationwide campaign later in the year.

"We spend over £2 billion a year on ready meals [source: Mintel Eating Habits survey, 2007], and that's not even counting junk food and takeaways," says Jamie. "Millions of people up and down the country are really busy, they're on tight budgets, and no-one has bothered to teach them how to cook. It's no wonder that the last thing they want to do at the end of the day is cook a meal from scratch."

The Ministry of Food was set up to help families make the most of wartime rations and grow food themselves. Its advice with recipes and avoiding waste, alongside famous campaigns such as Dig For Victory, was credited with keeping Britain fighting.

Six decades on the issues are very different, although equally serious: poor diet is leading to obesity-related illnesses, including heart disease and diabetes, which are costing the NHS over £3 billion a year to treat [source: British Heart Foundation report, 2002]. Meanwhile children are predicted to die younger than their parents for the first time.

Rotherham is where the chef faced the toughest resistance to his school dinners campaign from mums who passed junk food through playground railings to their children.

"Rotherham is a typical British town; this isn't about me wagging my finger at people, here or anywhere else, it's about finding out what problems people are facing with time, budget and cooking know-how," says Jamie. "Then we can see what help and support they need. Yes, people should take responsibility for their own health, but they need help and the tools to fix it.

"If we can get people in one town cooking, I want to establish a blueprint that can get people cooking across the whole country this year. I'm currently looking at exactly what needs to be done to make that happen.

"It may feel like a Mission Impossible, but it's too important for us to give up. I hope that once people see how quick, cheap and easy – as well as rewarding - it can be to prepare good food for you and your family at home, the ready meals and takeaways will be straight in the bin!"