Rotherham The Unofficial Website An unofficial website about the Town and Borough of Rotherham

Jamie's Ministry Of Food

The story began at Rawmarsh Comprehensive School when the school took to its heart if not to its stomach, Jamie Oliver's campaign for better school meals. I think that the kids were banned from going out at lunchtimes and their lunchboxes were raided to find any offending items. Many of the children refused to eat school dinners so some of the mums clubbed together and bought them Rotherham favourites like cheese and chips, and other takeaway food. As the parents were banned from entering school premises the food was passed through the railings of Rawmarsh Cemetery. This reached the National Press and the mums were subject to a very great deal of flak.

Jamie himself got a bit het up about things. As it turned out quite a large number of people, both in Rotherham and through the rest of the country, didn't have the slightest idea how to boil the proverbial egg. So Jamie (and doubtless his monetary advisers too) thought up the Ministry of Food. Named after the ministry that encouraged the delights of turnip fritters during the Second World War, the campaign was all about getting people cooking again, using healthy ingredients.

The town of Rotherham was chosen because it was reckoned to be the town that best reflected the rest of the country's population in terms of demographic make-up (nuff said about that but you don't hear much English here these days). Also I believe that, given the number of empty premises, it wasn't difficult to inveigle Rotherham Council to cough up an available shop. Other firms, given the celebrity of the star, kitted it out.

Jamie's idea was to teach people to cook good, honest, affordable food. And then "Pass It On" to family, friends and colleagues. It has actually been a great success though I very strong doubts at the time. Rotherham Council took over funding once Oliver's underwriting ran out.

The Ministry of Food Centre in Rotherham was opened so that local people could the basics of cooking and get friendly advice on recipes, ingredients shopping, nutrition, equipment, local and seasonal food, and how to make good simple meals on a tight budget. The local team of Health Trainers are also based at the Centre and are there to offer help and information about things like giving up smoking, taking more exercise and dealing with stress.

Address:- 1 All Saints Square, Rotherham, S60 1PW. Tel. 44 (0)1709 365 944.

Open Monday to Friday 10am - 5pm, Saturday 10am - 3pm. Cooking demos every lunchtime. Pass It On cooking classes every morning and afternoon.

Other Ministry of Food Centres are situated in Bradford, Leeds (open March 2010) and across the pond in Huntington, West Virginia. Huntington is described poor mining community (sound perfect for a bit of twin-towning with Rotherham) dubbed "America's fattest city" and reports indicate that the inhabitants have reduced the golden boy to tears. Many other local authorities have expressed interest.

Fortunately I really learned how to cook from my Mum and my Gran. Cooking lessons at my school in the 1960s were not something to look forward to even then. I remember one particularly disgusting encounter with a boning knife and a very fresh mackerel. I've never eaten mackerel since. It was twenty years before I even tried to bone a fish again.

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