Bramall staff cook up a storm for Jamie Oliver

Colleagues at Bramall Construction are tasting the benefits of their involvement in Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food programme, which broadcasts their support for his campaign.

Fifty staff from the Rotherham-based social housing specialist have been involved in the celebrity chef's campaign in the town to get people cooking and eating healthily.

The cooking craze has caught on so much that Bramall Construction has invested in a new hob for the canteen in its head office in Wath and is still sending staff to Ministry of Food cooking classes.

The installation of the hob is due to be aired on Oliver's programme on Channel 4 from Tuesday, October 14.

Bramall's involvement in the healthy eating campaign started in June when staff attended the 'pass it on' mass cookery class at Rotherham's Magna centre.

They were taught to make a stir fry dish and encouraged to share the recipe with at least one other person.

Oliver has since visited Bramall's head office to pass his cooking expertise on to six colleagues in a class which will also be broadcast on the Channel 4 show.

Staff say the campaign will leave lasting benefits, with many employees now cooking regularly for the first time in their lives.

Bramall's PA Natalie Hare, who has supported the campaign since the summer, said: "It's opened people's eyes as to how easy it is to cook something which is quick, easy and healthy.

It's been great for team building and has increased staff morale.

"People have been brought together for the classes who might not otherwise have met up.

We've had a variety of people both from site and from the office and we've also encouraged new starters to participate.

"The responses we have received have been really positive - especially from staff who had never really cooked before.

We had a couple of men who had never cooked at home and have since gone home and cooked for their wives.

"And we've got another colleague who had been dubbed the 'brown sauce lady' because she ate everything with brown sauce - she's now got really into cooking and the lessons have made her more confident in the kitchen".

Natalie added: "Jamie Oliver was really down to earth and had an instant rapport with all the staff he worked with at Bramall".

Rotherham was chosen for the location for Oliver's TV series after the town shot to controversy, when local mums were filmed by news broadcasters passing fast food to children through the railings of a school in Rawmarsh.

The mums were protesting at the school's healthy school meals regime, following Jamie's School Dinners TV series.

Health statistics state that the town has one of the highest obesity rates in the UK.

Bramall's involvement in Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food can be seen on Channel 4, on October 14 and 21, at 9pm.

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