‘He hasn’t read the room!’ Viewers slam Jamie’s Easy Christmas as chef uses ‘expensive’ ingredients to cook festive dishes which take ‘hours in the oven’ amidst cost-of-living crisis

• Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Easy Christmas aired on Channel 4 last night 
• Said he hoped to show an array of dishes which could be served at Christmas
• However viewers were impressed and slammed the idea of the programme
• One wrote: ‘Clearly the producers of this unrelatable tripe did not read the room’
• Read more:  Jamie Oliver’s £1 Wonders is slammed as ‘nonsense’ by viewers

Viewers have slammed Jamie Oliver’s Easy Christmas as out of touch after saying the chef cooked up festive meals with ‘expensive’ ingredients which take ‘hours in the oven’ amidst the cost-of-living crisis. 

The celebrity TV chef, who is worth an estimated £240million, appeared on the Channel 4 show last night, where he said he hoped to show ‘fun, festive food with all the frills but none of the fuss.’

Among the recipes he whipped up on the show were salmon gravadlax, the ‘ultimate’ roast potato, which required over two hours in the oven, and a giant Yorkshire pudding complete with roasted grapes. 

However many of those watching were left unimpressed by his recipe suggestions, with one writing: ‘Clearly the producers of this unrelatable tripe did not read the room.’

Scroll down to read for Jamie’s festive recipes from the programme 

Viewers have slammed Jamie Oliver’s Easy Christmas as out of touch after saying the chef cooked up festive meals with ‘expensive’ ingredients which take ‘hours in the oven’ amidst the cost-of-living crisis

Meanwhile another wrote: ‘The Channel 4 programme served up fantastic food, but Jamie failed to explain how we pay for the ingredients and the power to cook them.’ 

A third added: ‘One thing I don’t want is Jamie Oliver’s fuel bill! Roast grapes????’

A fourth commented: ‘Honestly posh nosh or what! What happened to cost of living crisis?’

Another wrote: ‘It would have been nice if you’d done recipes that didn’t include expensive ingredients or take hours in the oven, given that so many people are struggling to feed themselves and pay for energy.’ 

However many of those watching were left unimpressed by his recipe suggestions, with one writing the producers ‘hadn’t read the room’ amidst the cost-of-living crisis 

For Christmas day this year, Jamie said he had some incredible recipes to make the day extra special, including a roast turkey, simple cured salmon gravadlax and double roasted potatoes.

He explained: ‘This year, I’ve got loads of easy and exciting tips to get loads of extra flavour into your festive feast, from the most delicious turkey and mouth-watering gravy.’ 

To start with, Jamie said he would be curing a piece of salmon.

He said: ‘Salmon gravadlax is so delicious and guaranteed to impress all family and friends.

For Christmas day this year, Jamie said he had some incredible recipes to make the day extra special, including a roast turkey, simple cured salmon gravadlax and double roasted potatoes

‘I’m going to put a twist and evolve the basis of the traditional recipe.’

He used a kilo of salmon filet, describing it as an ‘ingredient you buy all the time’ which can be ‘transformed into something beautiful and stylish.’

Elsewhere, he said he hoped to ‘take the humble potato to a whole new place’ with a dish he called Jools’ Potatoes. 

He said: ‘It doesn’t look ordinary because it is packed with garlic, rosemary and thyme.’ 

He initially cooked it up for an hour-and-a-half in the oven, before he sliced the potato dish and returned it to the oven.

He then ‘whacked’ it in the oven at 220 degrees for another 40 minutes. 

He used a kilo of salmon filet, describing it as an ‘ingredient you buy all the time’ which can be ‘transformed into something beautiful and stylish’

Meanwhile he also whipped up ‘the best roast carrots ever’, with the dish including clementines, roast almonds and rocket. 

The final dish he included in the menu was a giant Yorkshire pudding, which featured roasted grapes, brie, cheddar, spring onions and tarragon inside.  

It’s not the first time that the celebrity chef has been accused of being out of touch in recent months with a cookery programme.

Last month, viewers slammed Jamie Oliver’s £1 Wonders as ‘a load of nonsense’ after saying the Channel 4 cooking show doesn’t ‘seriously understand poverty.’

On the show, he cooked up recipes including a meatloaf, vegetable lasagne and curry, claiming all could be made for less than £1 per portion.

In order to find the cost of each portion, Jamie claimed he worked out the average cost of each ingredient at the UK’s big four supermarkets – and divided this by the quantity used.

However, he didn’t give further specifics on the ingredients, such as the quality of the mince he used for his meat loaf or Bolognese recipes.

And many of those claimed the programme was not about ‘seriously understanding poverty’, with one viewer writing: ‘Bit confused who this Jamie Oliver show is aimed at.      

The programme was released after it was revealed Jamie is believed to be cooking up a deal with Netflix as he hopes to promote his healthy eating campaign via the streaming service and his charity BiteBack 2030.

A source told The Sun last month:  ‘Jamie has ended his exclusive contract with Channel 4 and is looking to work elsewhere. A team from BiteBack is developing ideas aimed at Netflix’. 

With Jamie’s production company already advertising for producers to work on ‘Netflix development’.

However in a bid to keep the star the publication reports the channel have ordered a third series of Jamie’s Mediterranean Adventures.

The source added: ‘Channel 4 aren’t thrilled about sharing Jamie but have made sure they won’t lose him altogether.’

As well as a third series of his Mediterranean adventures the broadcaster has also recommissioned Jamie’s One-Pan Wonders and Jamie’s season which will air next year.

He founded the charity BiteBack 2030 in 2019 with the aim of educating children about healthy eating.

Jamie originally joined the channel back in 2002 after originally finding fame as The Naked Chef on BBC2.

Read more: 

EXCLUSIVE: Cost-of-living Christmas: One in five British families will ask guests to PAY for their Christmas dinner as price of turkey soars 

‘Clean clothes please, mine are dirty’: Children send letters to Santa during cost of living crisis that will break your heart 

Alternative Christmas advert depicting a young widower struggling to buy his son a present, working by candlelight and going hungry amid the cost of living crisis leaves viewers sobbing as it is dubbed ‘better than John Lewis’ 

Jamie Oliver’s Christmas recipes  

Salmon gravadlax

The first recipe the celebrity chef whipped up on the programme was a salmon gravadlax 

Ingredients

• 200 g raw beetroor
• 100 g rock salt
• 50 g demarara sugar
• 50 ml vodka
• 1 big bunch of fresh dill (60g)
• 2 lemons
• 50 g fresh or jarred horseradish
• 1 x 1 kg side of salmon, skin on, scaled, pin-boned
• 2 large cucumbers
• red wine vinegar
• ½ a fresh red chilli
• 4 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
• extra virgin olive oil

Method 

Peel and trim the beets and place in a food processor with the salt, sugar, vodka and a few sprigs of dill.

Finely grate in the zest of 1 lemon, add the horseradish (finely grating if using fresh), then blitz until combined.

Rub a little mixture on to the salmon skin, then place the salmon on a large tray, skin-side down, and pat the remaining mixture all over it so that the flesh is completely covered.

Cover the tray tightly with tin foil. Pop a weight on top to help pack everything down evenly, then put the whole thing into the fridge for 36 hours to cure. Please use your instincts here – if you have a particularly chunky side of salmon you may want to leave it for up to 48 hours.

Once cured, unwrap the fish then, holding the fillet in place, pour the juices down the sink and rub away all the salty topping (it’s messy, so you might want to wear gloves).

Pat the fillet dry with kitchen paper. Pick and finely chop most of the remaining dill, scatter it over the salmon flesh, then tightly wrap in tin foil once again. Put back into the fridge until needed, where it will keep happily for up to 2 weeks.

On the day you’re going to serve the salmon, scratch the outside of the cucumbers with a fork to create grooves, then finely slice at an angle and place in a bowl with a pinch of sea salt and 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Deseed, finely slice and add the chilli, roughly chop and add a few fronds of dill, then toss together.

Place the yoghurt in a small bowl, finely chop and add the remaining dill fronds. Finely grate in the zest of ½ a lemon, squeeze in the juice and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then stir together well.

When you’re ready to serve, use a long sharp knife to slice the salmon thinly at an angle and, as the knife touches the skin each time, kink it off, lifting away the salmon. Arrange the slices on a board or platter as you go, then dish up with dollops of dill yoghurt, slices of cucumber pickle and lemon wedges, for squeezing over.

Giant Yorkshire Pudding 

Elsewhere he roasted a handful of grapes to make an unusual giant Yorkshire pudding as a vegetarian main 

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 150 g plain flour
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 150 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 320 g mixed seedless grapes
• 50 g Brie
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• ½ a bunch of tarragon (10g)

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a 25cm x 35cm roasting tray and place in the oven to get hot (make sure that the shelf is lowered so the Yorkshire has room to rise). Put the flour into a bowl with a small pinch of sea salt, crack and whisk in the eggs, then gradually whisk in the milk and 50ml of water until you have a smooth batter. Working quickly but carefully, pull the tray out of the oven and pour in the batter. Cook for 20 minutes – and don’t be tempted to open the oven door during that time.

Meanwhile, trim the spring onions and slice into 4cm lengths. Pick the grapes. Slice the Brie. Remove the giant Yorkshire pud to your board and gently sprinkle the spring onions and grapes into the empty hot tray. Season with salt and black pepper and roast for 15 minutes, or until soft and lightly golden. Scatter the contents of the tray on to the Yorkie, carefully wipe out the tray, then lift the filled Yorkie back in. Dot over the sliced Brie, then return to the oven for a final 5 minutes. Mix the Dijon with a little extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, then pick and dress the tarragon leaves. Sprinkle over the Yorkie before serving.

Tips

RECIPE INSPIRATION

Welcome to the classic sandwich combo, Brie and grapes, reimagined. We roast for amplified flavour, then serve in a giant Yorkshire pud. Wrap, roll, and enjoy.

CHRISTMAS LOVE

If you’re going all out, this is a recipe great for using up your Christmas cheeseboard – think chunks of Cheddar or bombs of goat’s cheese. Have fun with it!

Crispy layered potatoes 

Meanwhile he cooked this roast potato dish in the oven for over two hours during the programme 

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Maris Piper potatoes
• ½ a bunch of fresh rosemary (10g)
• ½ a bunch of fresh thyme (10g)
• olive oil
• 250 g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes
• 50 g watercress
• 1 tablespoon creamed horseradish
• extra virgin olive oil
• red wine vinegar

Method 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Peel the potatoes and slice as finely as you can, ideally 2mm thick. Pick and finely chop the rosemary and thyme. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss it all together with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Line a 24cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan with greaseproof paper, then rub with olive oil. Layer up the potatoes, pressing down well to compact, then cover with tin foil and bake for 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Now, evenly press down on the foil, weigh it down with plates to compress everything, and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Remove the tin foil, then turn the potatoes out on to a board and remove the greaseproof. With a large sharp knife, cut the potatoes into 3cm slices, turning each slice on to its side to expose the layers. Rub 1 tablespoon of oil into the pan, then put the potatoes back in on their side like a jigsaw, really pressing, packing and compacting them in to fill the pan. Cook at the bottom of the oven for 30 minutes, or until beautifully golden and crispy on the base. Meanwhile, quarter the cherry tomatoes, toss with the watercress, horseradish and 1 tablespoon each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, then season to perfection and serve alongside the crispy potatoes.

Tips

CHRISTMAS LOVE:

If you’re after Christmas dinner inspiration, this also makes a lovely alternative to traditional roasties. Simply ditch the tomato salad and you’re away – total joy.

Roasted carrot salad

Instead of cooking up a regular carrot dish, the celebrity chef crafted a plate with clementines, smoked almonds and red wine vinegar 

Ingredients

• 12 large carrots
• 2 clementines
• olive oil
• 2 tablespoons smoked almonds
• ½ a bunch of flat-leaf parsley (15g)
• 8 tablespoons cottage cheese
• red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 4 wholemeal pitta or small flatbreads
• 60 g rocket

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Scrub the carrots, then place in a large roasting tray in a single layer. Squeeze over the clementine juice, placing the squeezed halves in the tray. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then cover tightly with tin foil and roast for 1 hour. Remove the foil, give the tray a good jiggle, and roast for another 30 minutes, or until beautifully soft. Meanwhile, blitz the almonds in a blender until fairly fine, then tip out for later. In the blender, blitz the parsley, stalks and all, with 6 tablespoons of cottage cheese and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar until smooth, loosening with a splash of water, if needed, then season to perfection. Spread across a large serving platter and ripple through the remaining cottage cheese.

Remove the carrots from the oven, drizzle with 1 tablespoon each of honey and red wine vinegar, then scatter over the almonds. Heat the pittas in the oven for a few minutes while you arrange the roasted carrots on the platter, sprinkle over the rocket, and drizzle with any sticky juices from the tray. Serve with the pitta.

Tips

CHRISTMAS LOVE:

This also makes a cracking Christmas side dish. Ramp up the festive flavours by upping to 4 clementines, and ditch the parsley dressing, rocket and pitta – you’ll end up with the most beautiful honey roasted carrots.

EASY SWAPS:

– Swap the smoked almonds for normal almonds or hazelnuts, if you like.

– Watercress, torn-up chicory or baby lettuce would work great in place of the rocket.  

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