Well, we're back in the jungle, (not literally of course) with I'm A Celebrity.....Get Me Out Of Here, and of all the reality TV shows, I'm A Celebrity seems to have remained popular amongst a lot of people, myself included, and I think we need look no further than its hosts, Ant and Dec.
Ant and Dec are a couple of working class boys made good, they are genuinely good friends and they appeal to us for exactly that reason, a couple of mates having a laugh. They deliver great material, they're cheeky but not crude and they've remained incredibly down to earth. By the laws of showbiz and 'celebrity' one of them should have succumbed to drink and drugs, sexual transgression or monstrous ego, both however have remained scandal free, professional and reliable.
Which brings me to the celebrities taking part, some of whom aren't quite as unostentatious as their hosts. Gemma Collins, star of The Only Way Is Essex reality TV show, has already quit after only 72 hours. Gemma is a large lady who loves her food, so the diet of porridge, beans and rice and witchetty grubs was always going to be a problem for her! However, the extent of her preciousness was quite shocking and a sad indictment of our celebrity society.
Gemma exclaimed she would 'die' if she wasn't given a treat and even when fellow contestant, Craig Charles, explained: 'There are people in the third world that eat less than we are having, people literally starving to death! Three bowls of porridge a day would be a luxury to them.' She still didn't quite get it.
Given that over the past year we have commemorated the centenary of the first world war, one would imagine contestants in reality TV shows would realise that their forgoing a ham sandwich or a packet of quavers, pales into insignificance compared to the horrors millions of men faced in the trenches. Seemingly not.
I recently watched Defiance, a true account of How the Bielski brothers, whose parents were slain by local police under orders from occupying Germans, fled into the forest. They encountered other Jewish escapees and took them under their protection, moving constantly from makeshift camp to makeshift camp, barely surviving winters of sickness and starvation, these people made sanctified work of staying alive. The brothers never sought recognition or praise and faded into obscurity, yet the descendants of the people they saved now number in the tens of thousands.
Counter that with the diva like behaviour of Gemma Collins and we have to ask ourselves where we are going wrong. In one episode of Towie, Gemma was arguing with her mother, apparently Gemma's parents hadn't jumped quickly enough when she had snapped her fingers regarding decorating her new flat. Consequently Gemma had to stay in a hotel which proved very costly. The irony was that Gemma's mother was apologetic and was clearly treading on eggshells.
I'm not going to chunter on, you already know how I feel about modern parenting, but if anyone epitomises a mollycoddled, over protected, spoilt individual, Gemma's your girl.
The remaining contestants will have to come up with some ingenious ideas regarding the ingredients they are given to make their daily dishes. I am currently studying a book about recipes that were devised during both world wars when rations were scarce, it makes for very interesting reading. Bones and lard feature quite heavily, as does mutton, one recipe for meat patties uses 2 oz of lard to 4 oz mutton! My meatballs (patties) include some rather more wholesome ingredients, however, the dish is still very economical.
Meatballs are a simple wholesome dinner for all the family, they're versatile, cheap and delicious and most kids love them.
Meatballs
Recipe
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
900g minced beef
2 tablespoons mixed herbs
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons olive oil
For the sauce
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
300ml red wine
300ml chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato puree, loosened up with a drop of water
Salt and pepper
Combine minced beef with garlic, herbs and beaten egg
Divide into approximately 20 round balls, refrigerate until required (I normally prepare them a day in advance)
Heat olive oil in a large pan, cook meatballs for 10 minutes until they have become slightly caramelised
Remove meatballs from pan and set aside
Heat wine in same pan and reduce, add chicken stock and tomato puree
Add crushed garlic, bring to the boil, place meatballs back in the pan, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes
Serve over spaghetti or mashed potatoes or simply eat with chunks of fresh crusty bread.
'A lot of people measure a man by what he's got. I've decided to measure myself by what I can give up.'
- Geoff Nicholson
Love Donna xxxxxxxxxx
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