He’s banished Turkey Twizzlers from schools, turned Americans off fast food and most recently made baked Alaska in an air fryer. But Jamie Oliver — along with his son Buddy, 13 — has an even bigger challenge in his sights: teaching your kids to cook.
Buddy, the eldest son of the celebrity chef and his wife, Jools, has been a culinary whizz since he was a toddler and has his own YouTube channel, Cooking Buddies, with 135,000 subscribers. Now he has released a book, Let’s Cook, aimed at schoolchildren and containing recipes for everything from scrambled eggs to salmon traybake, and he’s about to star in his own TV series, which airs on CBBC from July 10.
Jamie, who says his son has been his “shadow in the kitchen since he was tiny”, insists: “You’re never too young to start making incredible things.” He should know — he started cooking when he was eight and has never looked back.
As any parent will know, letting your little ones loose in the kitchen — and trusting them around hot pans, sharp knives and messy ingredients — can be a recipe for stress, not success.
My eldest son, Charlie, is five and a keen mini chef. I’ve had him by my side at the kitchen counter since he was a baby, gnawing on vegetables in his highchair, cracking eggs, whisking cake batter and — since he started school in September — making pizza and pasta. I won’t pretend it’s always rosy: we’ve splattered tomato sauce on the ceiling, smashed glass bowls on the floor and once flipped a very enthusiastic pancake out of an open window.
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But when it works and he makes something he’s genuinely proud of, the look on his little face makes all the chaos — and the mountains of washing up — worthwhile.
When we cook, it’s normally me calling the shots, but Buddy’s book aims to change that dynamic by letting kids take the reins and learn basic cookery skills that will set them up for life. As Jamie puts it: “Having a bit of control over the shopping and the cooking means that they can make it in the way they like it, which will ultimately help us out on our quest to get them eating well.” And that’s definitely something I can get on board with.
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So, channelling the oh-so-wholesome Oliver family, I tell my five-year-old he can take charge for the day and eat whatever he wants as long as he cooks it first. What could go wrong?
To start, Charlie picks out Buddy’s eggy bread recipe, a nutritious take on French toast, served with nut butter, yoghurt and raspberries. I suspect the dollop of honey on top is what really appeals.
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He manages to make batter well, whisking the milk into the eggs like a pro, and loves squashing the bread down into the mixture. “It’s like a sponge,” he tells me. “Will it taste better than it looks?” I tell him I hope so, praying he washed his hands first.
I help out with the hot pan, frying the bread on each side until golden. As he plates up, I’m impressed to see him artfully scattering fruit and mint leaves on top (though less impressed when he pops the honey dipper in his mouth and slurps).
For lunch he chooses to make Buddy’s tomato soup. We cheat by buying a bag of chopped vegetables and sautéing them up with stock and tinned tomatoes. Turns out Charlie is pretty nifty with a can opener, though his overzealous stirring paints most of the hob bright orange.
“It’s not as nice as the one from the tin,” he muses, while shovelling cheese on toast — the accompanying “melty cheese dunkers” — into his mouth. Ah well, you can’t win them all.
It’s meatballs and spaghetti for dinner, Buddy’s “absolute favourite because it’s fun to make and tastes so good”. Luckily, Charlie likes meatballs too, though he’s not such a fan of handling raw meat, and bombards me with questions such as, “Is this from a real cow?”, “What was its name?” and my all-time favourite, “How do you turn a pig into pork?” (Answer: “Ask your dad.”)
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The meatballs themselves are a parent’s dream, made with sneaky veg (grated onion, courgette and mushrooms) as well as beef and pork, and Charlie and I have fun rolling the mixture into balls. Cooked slowly in a rich passata, they’re delicious. My husband and I have some for our dinner too.
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The book isn’t all healthy, savoury foods — a boon if your kids, like mine, have a sweet tooth. Buddy admits he loves cakes and puddings “because they’re sweet and delicious”, and there’s a whole chapter on after-school snacks, including flavoured popcorn, nachos and banana bread.
For his pièce de résistance, Charlie chooses rocky road, an indulgent traybake made with chocolate, butter, biscuit pieces, marshmallows, honeycomb, nuts and raisins. This is where the wheels come off: I turn my back for a second and, before I know it, he’s shovelling handfuls of ingredients into his mouth and ladling melted chocolate on his tongue.
The end result looks good, with a Jackson Pollock-esque white chocolate drizzle, but having witnessed the dubious hygiene of the chef, I won’t be tucking in. He and his brother have no such qualms and are soon rollicking round the kitchen, high on sugar.
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Charlie’s verdict? “Cooking is fun. I’m good at it.” He’s already stuck Post-it notes on other recipes he wants to make, including a vegetable noodle stir fry and barbecue ribs, and even ventured to try some lettuce the other day — a world first.
And my verdict? I’m one proud mum. At five, I reckon he’s got more skills than some 25-year-olds — and that’s thanks to kids like Buddy making cooking easy and accessible. There’s no stopping him now. And Chef Charlie has a ring to it.
What your kids should be able to cook
By five
Well-supervised and with age-appropriate utensils (you’ll find loads of knife sets on Amazon; I swear by the Kiddies Food Kutter from thecoolfoodschool.ie), little hands should have no trouble putting together a cheese toastie, cutting vegetable sticks to eat as crudités, kneading bread and making pizza dough with their favourite toppings.
By eight
Supervised, let them chop the veg and peel potatoes for dinner. Breakfast is great for this age group to try on their own: beans on toast, scrambled eggs and even pancakes (though you’ll need to be on hand around hot pans). Try no-bake bakes like rocky road, fudge and cheesecake.
By ten
Competent ten-year-olds should be able to rustle up stir-fries, meatballs and simple pasta dishes but make sure you’re in the kitchen to supervise when needed. Get them whisking eggs for meringues, opening cans, making salads (which they might even eat) and heating soups, sauces and stews on the hob.
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By 15
By this age, young cooks should be able to help plan family meals and cook them single-handedly: roast chicken, cottage pie and lasagne, for example (though you may still need to keep an eye on them when using the oven). If baking is their thing, they’ll be able to follow more complex recipes such as tiered cakes, tarts and melt-in-the-middle puddings.
Buddy Oliver’s easy new recipes
From meatballs to rocky road, the CBBC star shares his favourite dishes
Eggy bread with raspberry ripple yoghurt and nut butter
Serves 2
Ingredients
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 x 1.5cm slices of bread
• Olive oil
• 2 tsp nut butter
• 160g raspberries
• 2 heaped tbsp natural yoghurt
• 1 sprig of mint (optional)
• Runny honey, to serve
Method
1. Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl, add the milk and whisk together. Add the bread to the bowl and gently squash to soak up the egg mixture (a bit like a sponge), turning a few times.
2. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Drizzle half a tablespoon of olive oil into the frying pan and carefully swirl the pan around to evenly coat the inside.
3. One at a time, lift the soaked bread slices up in the bowl and allow the excess mixture to drip off, then carefully place in the pan. Cook for 2-3 min on each side, or until golden and cooked through, then transfer to plates and spread with the nut butter.
4. Roughly mash half the raspberries with the yoghurt, then divide between the plates, scattering over the rest of the berries.
5. Pick, chop and scatter over the mint leaves (if using) and drizzle lightly with honey to finish.
Easy meatballs and spaghetti
Serves 6 (makes 30 meatballs)
Ingredients
• 1 onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 courgette
• 6 chestnut mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 200g lean minced beef
• 200g lean minced pork
• 50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 20g parmesan, plus extra to serve
• 1 large free-range egg
• 690g passata
• 450g dried spaghetti
Method
1. Peel the onion and 2 garlic cloves, then coarsely grate on a box grater with the courgette and the mushrooms. Scrape everything into a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook for 10 min, or until softened, stirring regularly.
2. Tip the cooked vegetables into a mixing bowl and leave to cool, then add the beef, pork and breadcrumbs. Finely grate in most of the parmesan and crack in the egg, then season with black pepper. Squish the mixture together to combine, then with wet hands take tablespoons of the mixture and shape into 30 little balls. Pop them onto a tray as you go, then place in the fridge for 10 min to firm.
3. Place a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the meatballs and cook for 8-10 min or until golden brown all over, turning regularly.
4. Peel and finely chop the other 2 garlic cloves. Create a little space in the pan between the meatballs, add the garlic and cook for 2 min, then pour in the passata and give the pan a gentle shake. Simmer for 20 min, or until the meatballs are cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with sea salt and pepper, if needed.
5. With about 10 min to go cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of starchy cooking water. Tip the pasta into the meatball pan and gently toss together, loosening with a splash of pasta water, if needed. Divide between bowls, serving the meatballs on top, and finish with a grating of parmesan.
Tasty tomato soup
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 carrot
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 celery stick
• Olive oil
• 1 organic vegetable or chicken stock cube
• 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
• 4 slices of bread
• 85g cheddar
• A few sprigs of basil
• 200ml milk
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method
1. Peel and chop the carrot, onion and garlic, then trim and finely slice the celery. Place a large saucepan on a medium heat, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then scrape in the chopped vegetables. Cook for 10 min with the lid on (leaving a little gap), or until softened, stirring occasionally. Crumble in the stock cube, then carefully top up with 500ml of boiling water and stir to dissolve.
2. Scrunch in the tomatoes (or tip in and break up with a spoon as you go), then turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, pop the lid back on and simmer for 10 min, or until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally.
3. Toast one side of the bread slices under the grill until golden, turn over, then coarsely grate over the cheddar and place back under the grill until oozy and melty.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, put in most of the basil leaves and pour in the milk and balsamic, then carefully blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Taste and season, if needed, then ladle the soup into serving bowls or mugs. Slice the toast into soldiers and serve on the side for dunking.
Time-saver alert
Although prepping vegetables is a great way to practise your knife skills, if you want to save time swap the carrot, onion and celery for 300g ready-prepped frozen diced base veg mix — you can find this in most supermarkets.
Rocky road
Serves 16
Ingredients
• Olive oil, for greasing
• 100g dark chocolate (70 per cent)
• 100g quality milk chocolate
• 125g unsalted butter
• 75g golden syrup
• 50g marshmallows
• 150g biscuits, such as ginger nuts or digestives
• 75g unsalted nuts, such as pistachios or toasted hazelnuts
• 75g chocolate-covered honeycomb
• 75g glacé cherries or dried fruit
• 50g quality white chocolate
Method
1. Lightly oil a 25x30cm roasting tray and line it with a sheet of damp greaseproof paper.
2. Sit a heatproof bowl on top of a pan of lightly simmering water, snap in the dark and milk chocolate, add the butter and golden syrup, and stir occasionally until melted.
3. Take the bowl off the heat and halve the marshmallows, snap up the biscuits, roughly chop or bash up the nuts, bash up the honeycomb and halve the cherries or dried fruit (if needed), then stir them into the chocolate mixture. Pour into the lined tray and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, then carefully turn out.
4. Snap the white chocolate into a clean heatproof bowl and melt as described in step 2 (or melt in the microwave if easier). Drizzle the melted chocolate over the rocky road, leave to set in the fridge, then slice and serve.
Let’s Cook: Fun, Easy Recipes for Kids by Buddy Oliver (£20, Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk or call 020 3176 2935. Free UK standard P&P on online orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members.
