Naked Chef enjoys a taste of political power – Yahoo! UK & Ireland News: “Five weeks ago Jamie Oliver was best known for an annoying series of Sainsbury adverts and for introducing the term ‘pukka tucka’ into the English language. Today he is feted by politicians, lionised in newspaper editorials and adored by the nation’s headteachers. With just a camera crew and his resilient sense of pluck, Jamie Oliver has single-handedly dragged the issue of school dinners out of the pages of joke books and highlighted them as a disturbing national disgrace.

Using the recent Channel Four TV series Jamie’s School Dinners as a springboard, Mr Oliver launched Feed Me Better, a national campaign to strip junk food out of school canteens and replace it with fresh, healthy produce. The campaign petition has already attracted over 165,000 signatures, including 116 MPs and has a dedicated website which encourages pupils to write to their MPs and demand better food.

‘It is incredible what he has achieved,’ said Dale Dewesbury, manager of Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles Hotel. ‘He has risen so much in my estimation. No one mentioned school meals before or at least no-one listened. That’s changed. Every politician has to have an opinion on the issue now.'”