Jamie Oliver tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy why he is still “ranting” about school meals, why he disagrees with Michael Gove – and why he is pleased Ukip are “mixing it up” in British politics.
The celebrity chef caused waves at the weekend when he told the Sunday Times that he liked the way Ukip had stirred up politics. The newspaper gave the story the headline “Mmm, Ukip – they’re pukka” in reference to Jamie Oliver’s favourite phrase.
And despite the controversy, Mr Oliver told Channel 4 News he still feels that the rise of Ukip is an interesting phenomenon.
“I quite like the way they’ve mixed it up a bit,” he told Krishnan Guru-Murthy, stressing at the same time that he had not voted since becoming involved in campaigning for better school dinners because he wanted to be able to “talk in the eye to whoever I’m talking to”.
I quite like the way they’ve mixed it up a bit. Jamie Oliver
However, while Mr Oliver says he’s no politics expert – “I only know cooking, and a bit of school lunches,” he told Krishnan – he pulls no punches when it comes to campaigning on the topic closest to his heart.
“I disagreed with Michael Gove about losing the nutrition standards in our secondary schools,” he said.
“I just believe that the health of our children is not political. It should be cross-party, we should set a 15-year plan… I don’t like it that the way we feed our kids can be used as a political jibe.”
Speaking at Food Revolution Day, an initiative he set up to promote and celebrate good food and good cooking, Mr Oliver showed no signs of giving up his fight for better eating across the country – and indeed the world.
“I am ranting,” he admitted. And it doesn’t seem like he’s going to stop any time soon, eight years since he first took aim at Turkey Twizzlers. Watch Channel 4 News at 7pm for more from Jamie Oliver.