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Watch out vegetarians, Jamie Oliver and Tony Blair – Clarissa Dickson Wright is on the loose!
Added: (Fri Nov 04 2005)
In a thought-provoking – and often blunt-speaking – address to the ‘Challenges for School Caterers’ conference the celebrated cook and television personality outlined many of her loves and hates in life.
But despite harsh words for many within her industry, she offered only praise for school caterers and the “wonderful job” they were doing. “I don’t envy you your jobs,” she insisted.
Clarissa, who rose to fame as one half of the Two Fat Ladies, admitted: “I have always loved food, and food is something I have always grown up with. Cooking is my one gift.”
Joking about her weight, she reminded delegates of the old adage “never trust a thin cook”.
Clarissa urged school caterers to make greater use of their local suppliers. “I do ask you, where possible, to do that – and that you take the children where possible to find out where food comes from,” she said.
She criticised some recent initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy eating. “You don’t feed a child salad,” she insisted. “Children don’t like salad.” She called instead for the use of healthy ingredients and criticised so-called “junk food”.
In an outspoken address she renewed her long-running attack on Prime Minister Tony Blair – with whom she has publicly disagreed on a range of high-profile topics – and also criticised celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
Describing her fellow professional, she said: “He is a very good cook but he has sold his soul and I don’t like people who have sold their soul.”
During an honest reflection on her life and career, Clarissa spoke openly about her earlier alcoholism and her disagreements with television executives. She also reflected on her decision to enter the catering profession. “People say to me ‘why do you cook?’” she said. “I suppose it’s greed really.”
And she recalled: “When I was at school we used to complain about the food simply for something to do. The food wasn’t actually that bad – apart from the fish, which was absolutely disgusting.”
The television personality, who insisted that she is a cook rather than a chef, spoke bluntly about the perceived links between BSE and CJD – the basis of which she questioned – and roundly criticised the rearing of food in the Far East and its subsequent import into the UK.
And she also insisted that families should encourage healthier eating by placing a greater focus on providing better quality food. “In an age where children get mugged for their trainers and mugged for their mobile phones, wouldn’t it be better if more money was spent on food?” she asked.
ENDS
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Pelican Buying Company, which began trading in 1990, provides cost-reducing purchasing solutions for schools and colleges in the independent and state sectors; leisure and hospitality outlets such as restaurants, hotels, bars and clubs; and for local authority clients.
By harnessing the buying power of many individual businesses, Pelican is able to negotiate trading terms and discounts that individual operators would not normally be able to achieve on their own. Its customer base exceeds 4,000 clients.
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