JamieOliver.com

Hi everyone,

Here is a copy of the document that is on the Ministry of Food website that will help get you started for setting up your own Ministry:

PASS IT ON IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Anyone can learn how to cook something – all they have to do is give it a try. That’s the idea behind
Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food project, which includes the Pass It On movement. Pass It On is all
about people sharing their cooking skills with each other in order to get the nation making tasty meals
with fresh ingredients again. This is important because knowing how to cook will be really good not
only for your health, but also the future health of the country. We need as many people as possible to
join in.
Here’s how to set up your own local group:
1. SET UP YOUR CORE GROUP
Look for support in your local community first – you’ll probably find there are loads of people
out there who want to learn how to cook AND would like to take part, and who could help
you set up a local Pass It On group.
2. PUT SOMEONE IN CHARGE
You will need to:
- Either teach the classes yourself, or find someone who is a good cook, and confident about
giving a series of lessons.
- Sort out the logistics: location, local regulations etc.
- Find a weekly slot that suits everyone’s diaries.
3. FINDING A LOCATION
There are many under-used cooking facilities out there which you might be able to get access
to in the afternoons, evenings and weekends. Try approaching these organisations to see if
they can help:
- The community services department at your local council – they will have a list of community
facilities with kitchens such as town halls, children’s and community centres.
- The head of your local school or catering college (they might be able to grant you access to
school facilities after hours).
- The head of local social organisations such as Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, who may already
be using someone else’s facilities and know how to access them.
- Places of worship (some may have access to other buildings and facilities in the community).
4. FIND OUT ABOUT LOCAL REGULATIONS
It’s a good idea to have a basic hygiene certificate and an intermediate first aid qualification
before you run your own cooking classes. For more information about what’s required you
will need to contact the environmental health department of your local council.
Adults working with children are required to have a Criminal Records Bureau check, especially
if your class will be based in or connected with a school. Make sure you discuss this with the
person in charge of the children’s group you are linking in with. They should be able to tell you
what to do.
5. COMMUNICATIONS
Decide how you are going to communicate with everyone. If you have email, you can invite
you class members using the invitation system on this website. You can send everyone details
of your weekly lesson with a recipe, ingredients list and details of what they need to bring.
6. EQUIPMENT
If you are not going to be based somewhere with good facilities, you will need to sort out a
basic set of equipment. Take a look at the equipment section on the website. If you need to,
you can have a look at the recipe you’re going to be teaching, make a list of the equipment it
requires then ask people to bring their own from home.
If your cooking facilities are limited you may need to get:
- Gas burners, enough for each member of the class to have their own or for two people to
share. We’ve been using CampingGaz “Camp Bistro stovetop cookers”, which cost around
£10 each, plus the cost of a disposable gas canister.
This will cover you for many simple recipes which can be boiled, simmered or fried on top of
the cooker.
- A mobile oven is a bigger investment. You may be able to borrow a few from a local catering
company. A counter-top oven, if you can only get one, is a last resort because you won’t be
able to get everyone doing their own dish. But at least you’ll be able to show them the skills
they need.
- Tupperware. If you’re not going to sit down and share the meal you have prepared, make
sure you get everyone to bring a container to take home what they have cooked.
7. INGREDIENTS
The person teaching the class will be giving up their time to pass on their knowledge. Paying for
the ingredients they’ll be teaching with each week is a nice way of saying thanks. We suggest
finding ways of raising money to fund this.
8. If you can afford it, we suggest that you buy all the ingredients for your class’ first lesson to
start them off on the right foot and make that first class as painless as possible. You should also
try to provide the basic store cupboard items you’ll be using week after week, like olive oil,
flour, dried herbs and salt and pepper.
After the initial class however, your group should bring their own ingredients – there are
shopping lists on the website for all of the Ministry recipes.
Some community groups may be able to get funding to pay for ingredients from the local
council or a local charity. If money is really tight, you can always ask people to pair up and
share the costs between them.
9. SET UP A COURSE
It’s a good idea to plan a series of classes so that each week, people can build on their skills
and learn to do something new. In Rotherham, we run a course of ten classes and by the end
of the course our pupils have covered the basics of chopping, mixing, frying, roasting and
baking.
You could celebrate the end of your course with a community meal. Invite friends and family
to come along and taste the delicious food everyone has learnt to cook. Choose a dish for
each person to prepare and bring along.
10. MARKETING
We have provided a logo, which you can use on marketing materials such as flyers, banners,
leaflets, t-shirts, stickers and on websites to help promote your classes.
PASS IT ON!
Once you’ve sorted out the logistics, it’s time to get cooking! These simple guidelines will help you to
get the most out of your Pass It On groups:
1. RECIPES
Choose a quick and simple recipe. You can use your own recipe or one from the Ministry
of Food website, www.jamiesministryoffood.com. They’re all quick and easy and we’ve
included step-by-step videos and advice for beginners on store cupboard ingredients,
shopping lists and kitchen equipment.
2. GET PEOPLE COOKING AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE
Don’t just do a cooking demonstration. It’s really important that everyone prepare the
raw ingredients and cook for themselves.
3. PASS IT ON
Once your class have cracked each recipe, get them to Pass It On to two of their friends.
This is the magic moment when they will suddenly realise they can really cook!
If you choose a simple recipe like an omelette or pancake, which only takes a few minutes
to prepare, you can even do this during class. Teach one half of the group the recipe, then
ask them to Pass It On to the other half straight away.
4. DO IT AGAIN AT HOME
Cooking at home is really important so have everyone in the group promise to make each
recipe at home again as soon as possible. They should also promise they will Pass It On to
their family, friends, neighbours or co-workers… If they do, before you know it there will
be chains of people in you local community passing on their new cooking skills!
5. KEEP COOKING
Keep teaching your group until they’ve mastered all of the recipes. They will then have
covered the basic skills they need to be able to cook: chopping, frying, roasting and baking.
WE WANT TO FIND THE TOP SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY SO
MAKE SURE YOU REGISTER ON THE WEBSITE
We’ve set up a fantastic website so we can keep track of all the great Pass It On chains, how many
people there are in each one, and how many dishes you’ve taught. That way we will also know how
many people are taking part all over the country. Here’s what you have to do:
· Register on the website.
· Create a profile for your school. You can upload your school crest instead of a picture. Then
invite everyone taking part in the class using the email system, this will tell them what they will
be cooking, when, where and what equipment, if any, they need to bring.
· After each class, all you have to do is click back to the site to confirm your class took place and
your Pass It On will count.
· We’ll keep tabs of which schools are doing the best and put the top five up on the website.

Watched the show on Sunday.  Did Bradford join Hull and come on board with pass it on? (I live in Bradford and want to get involved)  What was the guy from Bradford Council called ?

Hi you all,
I had my birthday yesterday and 2 of my lovely friends bought me the book "Ministry of food". Altough I can cook, I like cooking and everybody likes my cooking I'm verry happy with this book. I loved the serie and watched it every week. I've already emailed 5 of our friends to come around in a couple of weeks and start cooking. Hope this catches on in Australia as well, as we can surely use it here.
Lots of love Vicky
Perth, WA, Australia

Hey folks,

Caught the last couple of episodes in the series, really great idea Jamie!

Anyone in Tasmania interested in getting this up and running? We have really high levels of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, etc. despite being a "food basket" so there's definitely a need I reckon.Many people I know believe[wrongly] that they can't cook so would be a great way to show their kind that it isn't as difficult as they imagine.

All the best to anyone out there having a go.

Toodlepip,
Steve