Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: TV chefs' food isn't unhealthy
Research
suggests that ready-meals are healthier than those of many celebrity
chefs. But that's mainly down to smaller portion sizes
Larger portions, but still healthy: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall with some of his dishes. Photograph: Rex Features
The media have made a hearty meal of research from the British Medical Journal
revealing that some of us who cook on telly have published recipes that
compare unfavourably for fat and calories with supermarket ready-meals.
Reading between the lines, it seems that portion control is more the culprit than a gung-ho attitude with the butter and cream. You tend to get a lot more food on your plate with a celebrity cookbook recipe than with a supermarket ready-meal. I guess the cardinal sin for a chef/home cook/host is to be thought mean. In the supermarket, by contrast, parsimony equals profit.
Nonetheless, I take the study as fair warning that I should be careful to practise what I preach – or at least not to practise what I preach against. Intrinsic to the job of cookery writer and TV chef is encouraging people to cook more, and depend less on ready-meals and takeaways. And we are generally promising, or at least implying, that our readers and viewers will have not just a happier but a healthier relationship with food if they do. So what responsibilities does that leave us with?
Good food, and a healthy diet, is about variety and balance – and I think those of us who cook on television and publish cookbooks should uphold those fundamental pillars of sound nutrition. But that applies across the whole spectrum of our recipes. It doesn't necessarily mean we should count all the calories in our recipes and strain to reduce fat at every opportunity.
Deliciousness, originality and excitement are what we are striving for. You can achieve that in recipes that are intended to be hearty main courses or comforting supper dishes, and you can achieve it in original salads that are bursting with fresh, crisp, raw vegetables and fruit. We can only encourage a balanced approach by ensuring there is deliciousness right across the menu.
I can see it's entirely possible that some of my published recipes for main-course dishes may clock up more calories and fats than some supermarket ready-meals. Others, I'm sure, would compare favourably if portion size was controlled for. One thing I am constantly striving for, especially in my two most recent books River Cottage Veg and Hugh's 3 Good Things, is to make healthy recipes more tempting. It's a mission I'll be carrying through to my next book with extra zeal.
Reading between the lines, it seems that portion control is more the culprit than a gung-ho attitude with the butter and cream. You tend to get a lot more food on your plate with a celebrity cookbook recipe than with a supermarket ready-meal. I guess the cardinal sin for a chef/home cook/host is to be thought mean. In the supermarket, by contrast, parsimony equals profit.
Nonetheless, I take the study as fair warning that I should be careful to practise what I preach – or at least not to practise what I preach against. Intrinsic to the job of cookery writer and TV chef is encouraging people to cook more, and depend less on ready-meals and takeaways. And we are generally promising, or at least implying, that our readers and viewers will have not just a happier but a healthier relationship with food if they do. So what responsibilities does that leave us with?
Good food, and a healthy diet, is about variety and balance – and I think those of us who cook on television and publish cookbooks should uphold those fundamental pillars of sound nutrition. But that applies across the whole spectrum of our recipes. It doesn't necessarily mean we should count all the calories in our recipes and strain to reduce fat at every opportunity.
Deliciousness, originality and excitement are what we are striving for. You can achieve that in recipes that are intended to be hearty main courses or comforting supper dishes, and you can achieve it in original salads that are bursting with fresh, crisp, raw vegetables and fruit. We can only encourage a balanced approach by ensuring there is deliciousness right across the menu.
I can see it's entirely possible that some of my published recipes for main-course dishes may clock up more calories and fats than some supermarket ready-meals. Others, I'm sure, would compare favourably if portion size was controlled for. One thing I am constantly striving for, especially in my two most recent books River Cottage Veg and Hugh's 3 Good Things, is to make healthy recipes more tempting. It's a mission I'll be carrying through to my next book with extra zeal.
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