Thomasina Miers has been blasted for her ‘out of touch’ and ‘middle-class’ advice on making porridge on a budget.
The Wahaca co-founder appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today show with broadcasters Emma Barnett and Amol Rajan on Wednesday.
During the interview the 2005 MasterChef champion was asked what would be her suggestion for making oats ‘cheaper’ and ‘more efficient’.
Thomasina listed off ‘sea salt’, ‘date molasses’, ‘toasted sesame seeds’, ‘tahini’ and a host of other ingredients to top off the budget friendly breakfast.
The clip, which was shared on X, formerly Twitter, quickly gained attention after people slammed the restaurant owner, saying her out of touch comment made them ‘cringe’.
Sharing a snippet from the show, the poster wrote: ‘The Today Programme just asked how people on a budget who might be time poor should make porridge and the answer has absolutely SHATTERED the middle class-o-meter.’
One person said: ‘Short version: “Poor people should just have more money and imagination, like me.”
The Wahaca Mexican restaurant co-founder Thomasina Miers has been blasted for her ‘middle-class’ advice for making porridge whilst on a budget on BBC Radio 4 Today
Another added: ‘But doesn’t everyone shop at Waitrose for those essentials like molasses and tahini, no matter how little time and money they have?’
Someone else quipped: ‘I use the tears from actual heavenly angels instead of milk to make mine, top it off with a crumble of dark cacao and a smidgeon of grated white truffle. Topped with edible gold leaf. Only on days when I’m time poor and the funds have deflated in my account mind.’
A fourth said: ‘Missing goji berries. Unforgivable lapse.’ Another added: ‘So simple, accessible, relatable!’
‘How should we be making it [porridge] there is the irony because people who are older, perhaps used to making their own food, so time poor not just in greater poverty, which is sometimes the issue?.
‘If you buy a bag of oats without any additional sugar to it it’s much cheaper most of the time and more efficient. How should you make it?’ Emma asked.
Thomasina replied: ‘The one I made this morning has a large pinch of sea salt, a large teaspoon of tahini, gives a bit of added calcium, lovely nutty flavour, I put a banana in it for the girls, a lovely bit of sweetness, delicious.
Cook and writer Thomasina, appeared on BBC Radio 4 Today with broadcasters Emma Barnett and Amol Rajan on Thursday
The clip, which was shared on X , quickly gained attention after people slammed the restaurant owner, saying her out of touch comment made them ‘cringe’
‘Pinch of cinnamon, sometimes I put raisins in, I might toast a bit of sesame or sunflower seeds to put on top and then lots of Greek yogurt, date molasses, brilliant with tahini.
‘It depends on our mood but on top of the Greek yogurt it can either be some dark crumbly brown sugar or a swivel of date molasses, which is the secret ingredient or maple syrup.’
Thomasina has become a successful celebrity chef over the years, writing a recipe column for the Guardian and hosting TV shows such as Mexican Food Made Simple on Channel 5.
She was recognised for her contribution to the food industry with an OBE in 2019.
Writing in the Guardian last year, Thomasina called on people to eat ‘significantly less meat’ to help the environment.
While she is not totally against meat-eaters, Thomasina wrote that she is in favour of more regenerative farming practices.
She said: ‘I am much more for small-scale, community-driven farming because I believe in the potential of food to be a force for good, for human and environmental health.’
Cows are a big contributor to climate change, with farm animals producing around 14 per cent of carbon emissions from human activity worldwide.
Ministers are looking to force farmers to give herds additives to reduce gas from digestion in ‘compound feeds’, which contain seaweed and essential oils.
The Government’s Net Zero Growth Plan, released earlier this month, looked to address concerns from the High Court that existing plans to reach the climate goal before 2050 were not detailed enough.
The plan said the bovine supplements could be introduced ‘at pace’ from 2025 – or as ‘soon as practically possible’ – in efforts to reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2030, as Britain’s commitment to the Global Methane Pledge requires.
Chef Thomasina working in her Wahaca kitchen as part of the Food Waste Cooking Challenge at the STEP UP TO THE PLATE summit in 2019
Thomasina with her MBE, awarded for her services to the food industry Investitures at Buckingham Palace in 2019
Wahaca hopes to go as green as possible by ditching any dish that contains the red meat item.
It comes after the chain, which boasts 13 restaurants, began displaying the carbon footprints of its dishes last year.
It found the chargrilled steak burritos to be the worst offender, meaning the item, along with the bestselling steak and cheese tacos, will now no longer be served.
Wahaca joins a growing number of restaurants to remove meat items from menus, after a report in January found it cuts costs while appealing to the growing vegan market.
Two of Wahaca’s beef dishes will remain, however, including the slow-cooked beef tacos, although it is hoped diners will be open to trying more veggie options.
Thomasina said Britain’s food system was ‘completely broken’ due to ‘insecurities’ such as ‘climate and biodiversity.’
Commenting on removing steak from Wahaca’s menu, the outspoken environmentalist told the Telegraph this week: ‘We wanted to look at a way of reducing the amount of meat dishes… while still offering truly tasty options for those that still enjoy eating it.
‘Being conscious that meat and dairy products are among the biggest culprits from an emissions perspective has led to us expanding our vegetarian and vegan offerings in recent years.’
The company was founded in 2007 with a single location in Covent Garden, before expanding to an impressive 20 sites.
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