A Q&A with Jamie Oliver

1. What do you think Australians do particularly well in the kitchen?

There’s such a wonderful, relaxed energy to Aussie food culture, but with that a huge respect for incredible produce. I would have to say that Australians excel at taking fresh ingredients and letting them really shine without overcomplicating things. Cooking should be a joy – whether that’s feeding your loved ones, mapping out your meals for the week or just sitting down to a quick, delicious home-cooked meal after a busy day. My new book is all about simple, stress-free recipes that rely on smart ingredient combos to deliver big bold flavour, which mirrors what I admire so much in Aussie cuisine. You guys just get it!

2. Grocery prices here (and globally) have risen sharply in recent times — can 20-minute cooking also be cost-effective for families?

Absolutely! I’ve written this book based on ingredients you can get in a standard supermarket – it’s not about fancy things you need to hunt out. I’m bigging up store-cupboard items, I love the convenience of frozen, and I’ve embraced a lot of what I like to call ‘flavour boosters’ (curry pastes, spice mixes, condiments), which are fantastic for adding big flavour with just a single ingredient. Cooking from scratch is still the single best way to stretch your budget further. Having a lineup of quick nutritious meals in your armoury means you can feed your family well without having to fall back on expensive takeaways or convenience foods. It gives you back control.

3. Our produce can be quite seasonal and regional — how flexible are your recipes for swapping in what’s fresh at an Aussie market? 

I’ve always been a massive advocate for shopping mindfully and in tune with the seasons, and I’m definitely all for little swaps here and there – whatever works for you! If you head down to your local Aussie market and see gorgeous seasonal greens or beautiful ripe tomatoes, or you have some mushrooms leftover in your fridge that you want to use up, swap them in (within reason, of course!). The whole point of the book is that everything can be made at a calm, enjoyable pace within the 20 minutes – they’re not meant to be full of rigid rules that trap you, so taking advantage of regional produce will only make the dishes taste even better.

4. If you were to create a 20-minute meal inspired purely by Australia, what would be on the plate?

Wow, what a question! My mind’s gone straight to beautiful Aussie seafood. It’d have to be some big juicy wild prawns or some fresh barramundi cooked simply in a hot pan with chilli, garlic, fresh local herbs, a squeeze of lemon maybe – beautifully simple, but hard to beat! And I’d serve it with either a fragrant noodle salad or some perfectly dressed local greens. Yes please!

5. Are there specific recipes in the book you’d point readers to if they’re trying to stretch their budget?

Definitely! There are recipes in the book that embrace things like tinned beans, lentils or chickpeas, which not only count towards your veg portions for the day, but allow you to save money by using half the amount of meat. And trust me, none of these recipes are compromised on the flavour front, and they’re healthier for you too, so it’s win-win. Take my Minced beef & black pepper dumplings, for example – I’ve used tinned lentils and a frozen chopped mixed veg base to boost the stew, which means it now boasts a massive 4 of your daily veg portions in one tasty plateful, with absolutely no compromise on flavour.