Michel Roux Jnr, Mothers Have Lost Their Cooking Skills.

                                                       
Celebrity chef Michel Roux Jnr has opened a can of worms by declaring mothers have lost their cooking skills.

Growing up, Roux watched his mother prepare meals from scratch, and like so many of us of his generation, has memories of the aromas of pastry baking in the oven and stews bubbling on the stove.

He has said that many youngsters today don't experience similar joys because two generations of working mothers have relied on convenience food. The former MasterChef star said working mothers of today and those before them had failed to acquire cooking skills because their lives now revolve around work rather than their families.

"There have been at least two generations of mothers no longer cooking at home and no longer passing on their basic cooking knowledge," he told Radio Times. The knock on effect is a growing dependency on convenience foods which are contributing to the obesity epidemic, "we should be teaching our children to eat properly."

Of course, you'll already know my stance, I worry that unless children learn life skills, especially cooking, they will continue to eat junk food without understanding the dangers. But for me it runs deeper than that, I have so many happy memories associated with my mothers kitchen, the tastes and smells of cooking, the snug and cosy atmosphere, and the gathering of our family around the kitchen table. Nowadays, families are scattered to the far corners of the home, eating separately whilst watching TV or scanning their computers and there is something intrinsically sad about it.

As you might expect, there has been a backlash to Rouxs' comments from the feminist camp. Journalist Sarah Vine (whom I like and invariably agree with on many topics) has said "It's the laziest cliche in the misogynist rule-book: working mothers are responsible for the obesity epidemic because we don't have time to cook our children healthy, nutritious meals from scratch." Well, hello Ms Vine, firstly I think you'll find Roux Jnr is one of the least misogynistic men you could ever hope to meet and secondly, my mother worked full time but spent her evenings cooking for her family as opposed to being glued to a computer playing Candy Crush or tweeting.

Vine goes on to say "Not all women can afford to stay at home braising lamb shanks all day." Which I will counter with: it's the laziest cliche in the feminist rule-book to belittle stay-at-home-mums, especially when, quite clearly you can very well afford to stay at home but choose not to! The upshot is, people want bigger houses, two cars, state of the art technology, designer handbags, memberships to gyms........Vine has written on many occasions about her nanny and let's face it, you're not on the breadline if you can afford a nanny!

The fact is, many women, like Vine, don't want to be braising lamb shanks all day, they would rather a career, which is absolutely great, but the old chestnut about having to work is starting to wear a bit thin.

Vine said "cooking may be a lucrative business for Mr Roux, but for most of us it's just another chore." That's the sad truth, cooking has become a dirty word and kitchens have become sterile, cold places where cellophane is popped and microwaves are pinged.

As you all well know by now, I actually enjoy being in my kitchen, not tied to the kitchen sink as perhaps my mother was, but, give me a couple of hours in the evening with my fairy lights on, a glass of wine, the aromas of home cooking wafting through the air and the dulcet tones of George Michael in the background and I become impervious to the stresses and strains of the outside world. My kitchen is a sanctuary, a place where people are drawn to, both Glenn and Bert will sit at the kitchen table, talking about their day whilst I peel vegetables and stir gravy, it's the heart of our home, and the added bonus is, we enjoy a delicious meal at the end.

This next recipe is simplicity itself.

Bacon chops

Recipe
2 outdoor bred bacon chops per person
1 tin of pineapple slices
1 large cabbage, shredded
2 leeks, cleaned and shredded
1 tablespoon of oil

Heat oil in a large frying pan
Add bacon chops and fry for 4-5 minutes each side until golden

Plunge cabbage and leek mix into boiling water and cook for 5 minutes

Remove chops and wrap in foil
Remove any excess oil from the pan, add pineapple slices and cook for 2 minutes each side

Remove pineapple slices and cover with foil
Add pineapple juice to hot pan, stir in all the bacon juices at the bottom of the pan, boil rapidly and reduce by half
Drain cabbage and season to taste, pile cabbage on warm plates
Add bacon chops and pineapple and pour hot juice over the top

A little tip, when in season I often add pomegranate seeds on top of the pineapple, they add a lovely flavour and texture

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life.'
- Maya Angelou

Love Donna xxxxxxxxx