As the adage of much disputed origin states, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

That’s exactly what’s going on with Jamie Oliver’s latest venture. He’s teamed up with Hotpoint to not only provide free cookery lessons for children and adults around the country, but teach locals in 6 cities how to become cookery teachers in their own communities. How awesome is that!?!

The Hotpoint Teaching Kitchen started out in London, travelled to Bristol, and is about to transform back into a truck – very robots in disguise – and journey up to Middlesbrough for a couple of weeks before taking in Sunderland, Widnes and a mystery location…

It’s a remarkable piece of engineering and boasts 7 fully-stocked cooking stations and everything that the team needs to get the public, young or old, boshing out amazing dishes. Yes, I have to admit that it puts my humble kitchen to shame.

The crack team from the Ministry of Food are truly some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet; Jimmy, Maria, Mandie and Trish are not only welcoming and engaging, but my word do they know their stuff!

I had the pleasure of catching up with them outside the Ashton Gate Stadium as they put a group of trainees through their paces and helped them to develop their skills – not only to cook Jamie’s recipes, but to lead a classroom, appreciate nutritional information and healthy eating, follow food safety guidelines, field questions and queries, and evolve dishes based on seasonality, availability and personal preferences. I’m so impressed.

The depth and detail provides so much more than you can get from a watching an equivalent TV show. The most significant lesson to be learnt is around balance – mindfully balancing food groups, your plate and your diet. Giving students the ‘why’ alongside the base skills helps to embed behavioural change and promote a positive attitude towards food and cooking in general. We’ve come a long way in the last couple of decades, but we’ve still got a long way to go. This shiny cookery school is really making a difference in the community, and the simple fact that it’s on wheels enables the Food Foundation to get out there and disseminate the life skills needed to help people live happier, healthier lives.

Please do check out their journey and show them the support they deserve on social media or in person! https://www.jamiesministryoffood.org/hotpoint-teaching-kitchen/

p.s. thanks for the delicious Teriyaki Salmon breakfast ;o)