A live webchat with Rosemary Shrager Thurs 5 Sept

muddyboots

Ohh hello Rosemary. I've seen you on The Girls of Hedsor Hall - are you really that strict in real life?

Not really, no. I feel people are playing a role, I do believe though, that there's nothing wrong with discipline! And we all need to have a bit of discipline in our lives-but actually I find those situations quite funny.

Clytie

Hello Rosemary

I picked up a copy of School for Cooks somewhere and thoroughly enjoyed the description of your childhood, helping your mother in the garden.

My 3-year-old GS lives in a city, but when he comes to stay he loves pottering about with me in the garden & then "helping" to cook the fruit and vegetables he brings in. Apparently digging for potatoes is the height of excitement!

Watching him and reading your memories makes me wonder: is it enough to bring proper cookery lessons back to schools? Don't the children really need to be helping to grow food too? Even if that's not possible at home (and DD lives in a second floor flat but still has beans and tomatoes on her balcony), every school playground must surely have a spare corner. What do you think?

Absolutely agree with you. I think it's really important that children are shown how to grow and also how to cook-if you start early enough, they will get it into their system that this is how you do it!

Also, more importantly they will have enthusiasm for it. I wish they had more cooking in schools, and also I think gardening is a brilliant idea to bring alongside it, but getting these things off the ground is really an upward struggle. I try, when the grandchildren come and stay with me, to always do this sort of thing (cooking etc.)

laidback

Hello Rosemary

Do you think you know all there is to know about cooking? or are you still learning? Enjoyed your turn in the Jungle

Absolutely not! The moment you stop learning is the moment I will probably give up!

I found what was interesting about the jungle was-protein is protein: a hind leg is a hind leg and a kangaroo tail is the same as an ox tail. The vegetables are what flummoxed me half the time!

brown

Hello Rosemary,
I watch a lot of cookery programmes, but ive just found out im a diabetic and I have noticed diabetes is never mentioned in the recipes.As diabetes is on the rise I think it would be a good idea to mention this . I like your no nonsence approach.

At my cookery school, we actually give courses to people who have allergies or intolerances, or diabetes. THere is a whole host of people out there who need to be understood, but also given the same chances as anybody else.

My husband has type 2 diabetes so, not allowed too many sweet things (he is very bad sometimes!).

merlotgran

Hello, Rosemary,

What is your opinion of the cooking trend that involves portions of food being stacked in the middle of the plate so high you can't see what is underneath? Smears of mashed potato and blobs of gravy jus seems to be an awful rip off!

I'm all for dishes being attractively presented but it's offputting when you know how much the food has been handled.

Stacking has gone away, thank goodness! It is now putting it on the plates in little bits...and never enough to eat! When are we going to get it right?? That's what I ask myself!

MissLes

Hi Rosemary,

I loved you on 'I'm a Celebrity', but how did you put up with the meagre food rations? Are the beans and rice as boring as they look?

Absolutely! Because I'm so much fatter than other people, I didn't seem to suffer as much as the thin ones and I seemed to be able to put with the meager rations better. THe hunger didn't come til quite far in.

The food is seriously boring, because there's no seasoning or flavouring or anything whatsoever to give it any taste, but there was one time where I asked if I could have enough time to redue the kangaroo tail-and actually it was delicious!

grandmasheila

I missed you in I'm a celebrity but am always fascinated by the things they make people eat/ cook. Do they give you any guidance at all before you go in - and how much of a relief is it to get out!

Second q - sorry - what's the recipe you would pass on to your grandchildren and why.

thanks for coming on

No-none whatsoever! We are told nothing, in fact they try to starve, disorient and make life uncomfortable for us so we would break down. No way was that going to happen to me-I'm made of better stuff!!

To pass onto my grandchildren: making their own bread, because it's such an easy thing to do, and so much more delicious and satisfying.

Banbury

I know you're here to talk cake, but I remember your most from Ladette to Lady. Were the girls really so ill-mannered, or was bad behaviour encouraged by the production team?

No, bad behaviour wasn't encouraged. We actually didn't encourage any bad behaviour at all-the only thing we did (which we made quite clear) was make alcohol available. It would be either at the pub, parties, and it was up to them not to drink...but of course, they actually couldn't help themselves! but of course, if they didn't drink or do anything, the production team wouldn't have a programme. But as things progressed, you could see them genuinely not wanting to drink and I can say now, there is at least one not drinking still.