Poor people 'don't know how to cook', claims Tory baroness

Tory peer blames a lack of cookery skills for people turning to charity



A Conservative peer risked sparking a fresh row over food banks today, after claiming poor people are forced to use them because they do not know how to cook.

Baroness Jenkin of Kennington suggested that a lack of cookery skills was in part to blame for families eating expensive cereals instead of cooking a bowl of porridge for 4p.

The remarks came as a major report found there that 'demand for emergency food assistance is increasing, and sometimes increasing dramatically'.

Baroness Jenkin, a member of the inquiry, said that one of the reasons people needed charity was because they were unable to prepare meals for themselves.

Speaking at the launch of the report in London, she said: 'We have lost our cooking skills. Poor people don't know how to cook.

'I had a large bowl of porridge today, which cost 4p. A large bowl of sugary cereals will cost you 25p.'

The 59-year-old Conservative peer is the wife of senior Tory MP Bernard Jenkin and the granddaughter of 1st Viscount Davidson.

She is a PR consultant and co-founder of Women2Win, a Tory project to get more women elected to the Commons after David Cameron became leader.

She later sought to clarify the remarks, insisting a lack of cookery skills was only part of the problem.

But they risk causing a political headache for the Conservatives, who face accusations of being out of touch with the reality of a life in poverty.

that kitchen looks really used!

Sadly, schools no longer teach the basics and parents are (in most cases) unable to themselves. As a nation we have become largely dependent on prepared foods and have lost the ability to cook from scratch.

In fact, it's quite a shame as (if you have the time) cooking can be quite relaxing. Actually, I guess that says it all; "if you have the time". - Today we live in a society where instant gratification is called for and people are not prepared to wait; which is also why we have so much debt as a society.

However, I would rather see the baroness offer a constructive solution rather than just b*tch about it though.

I see from your front page picture of Baroness Jenkin’s kitchen that she has even more helpful tips for us unwashed. What a sensible idea to label one of the fridges “CATERER’S FRIDGE”. I can’t tell you how many caterers we’ve fallen out with for using the wrong one.

What with porridge for 4p one day and correct fridge labelling the next, she surely deserves a weekly column in your paper.

Patrick Mill

Ryde, Isle of Wight