It’s Dr Monroe to you, says tattooed foodie

TATTOOED food writer Jack monroe has provoked an outcry after the 27-year- old — whose real name is melissa — changed her title to ‘ Dr’, despite never having even completed her A-levels, let alone a doctorate.

southend-born monroe, who is engaged to 44-year-old chef Allegra mcEvedy, received an honorary degree from the University of Essex last month for her campaigning and writing.

‘stop pretending,’ one Twitter user wrote in response to monroe changing her title from ‘ms’ to ‘Dr’ on the social networking site. ‘it’s an honorary doctorate but still feels like it has been debased, even as an honorary title,’ added another.

monroe, who has a five-yearold son with a former boyfriend, shot to fame after quitting her £ 27,000- a- year job as a fire service call-handler and setting g up a cooking blog.

she claims she was givenn ‘ explicit permission’ by thee university to use the appellation, , which usually needs to bee distinguished from a real doctorrate by including ‘ Hon’ afterr the surname.

As to why she feels the need to o call herself ‘Dr’, monroe explains:s: ‘it was a joy at having a genderrneutral title.’