On my departure for York back in September, I received the thoughtful gift of Jamie Oliver’s new book – my favourite chef, the idea of a naked chef having always appealed to me. I was inspired during my A Levels by Jamie’s Italian to continuously chuck ingredients together liberally and haphazardly – a handful of cherry tomatoes, a good glug of oil, a bit of basil. The method seemed approachable and less off-putting than Nigella’s sultry suggestions, although the domestic goddess holds a special place in my heart when I am feeling particularly indulgent, or craving brownies.
The cover of his newest book seems to address me directly: shop smart, cook clever, waste less…with 120 money saving meals. This hits a nerve; I love good food, I love lots of it, and I’d never want to throw anything away! Lately, I’ve taken to roasting huge batches of sweet potatoes and fennel and storing it in the fridge to throw in with Lidl cous-cous (49p), so I was excited at the prospect of some student-friendly inspiration from Jamie.
Jamie offers a helpful, and thankfully not at all patronising example of the contents of his own fridge, freezer and stock cupboard – protein wise, pretty standard, eg. ‘fish fingers – I like a bap once in a while’, although I highly doubt anyone I know would be likely to keep homemade pesto in their top drawer. He recommends frozen berries, ginger, chilli and a load of big bags of more unusual carbs such as bulgur wheat, quinoa and barley which come seriously cheap in Asda. There is a list of vital utensils for the total beginner (I know I could have done with this in first year, all I had was a wok and a fork).
The book is divided into handy basic sections – veg, lamb, chicken, beef, pork and fish – and provides a fab selection of recipes for all these, including leftover ideas. The hangover noodles should be a go-to for anyone post-Willow, amongst more exotic dishes like the Zombie brain (whole celeriac!) and Okonomiyaki (‘epic savoury Japanese pancake’). The sausage panzanella is an exciting way to get rid of old stale bread and the ‘mothership’ roast salmon has got to be good. I would, however, question the ability of a cash-conscious cook to splurge on mussels, steak, and the long although delicious ingredients lists which accompany most of the recipes. Four basic ways to do a simple tomato pasta seems like an obvious cop-out, although there are some more hearty meals such as the four recipes for the humble brisket stew.
So not quite a cookbook for the poverty line cook – bit more expensive than Tesco value baked beans, but it might encourage you to buy a few more fresh items rather than rely on pre-prepped meals. Well worth it if you are willing to spend on fun, colourful ingredients, be healthy and cook good food with easily adaptable recipes