My new food hero
Single mum Daisy wows TV’s Gregg Wallace as she feeds her three kids on a tiny budget
I thought I might be able to give some advice.. I really didn’t have a clue
GREGG WALLACE ON TRYING TO HELP DAISY’S FAMILY
She’s got so much to give in terms of cooking, planning, budgeting.. I was amazed by her
GREGG WALLACE ON MEETING SINGLE MUM OF THREE DAISY WHITE
MASTERCHEF host Gregg Wallace has discovered a new cooking star – a single mum who humbled him with her ability to rustle up meals for her family on a low income.
Gregg, 57, said he had “no idea” how the cost-of-living crisis was stretching budgets to breaking point until he met Daisy White while making a film about how families on tight budgets with a disabled or ill child make ends meet.
The former greengrocer – whose non-verbal three-year-old son Sid has been diagnosed with autism – has joined forces with food firm McCain and charity Family Fund for the project.
He spent the day with single mum Daisy and her children Molly, Sapphire and 12-year-old Rhys, who has a chronic kidney disease which means his life expectancy is about 25.
Gregg wanted to help Daisy prepare healthy meals on a tiny budget – but found he simply had no advice to give.
He said: “With my background in food, I thought I might be able to add something, that in some way I could give some advice.
“But actually what I realised when I met Daisy and the family is that I really, honestly didn’t have a clue.
“I had no idea about the situation that some people find themselves in. It was just staggering.”
Gregg said spending the day with the Whites had proved eye-opening.
At one point, Rhys said one of his favourite things is going in lifts because they remind him of how it feels to leave the hospital ward where he’s endured a total of 38 operations and had to spend several Christmases.
Gregg said he found Daisy to be inspirational, adding: “She’s turned into a bit of a hero of mine.
“I’m used to talking to people who like to cook because they throw dinner parties, and there’s nothing wrong with that.
“But Daisy has incredible cookery skills because she’s had to feed her family. She simply can’t afford to go to the chippy and can’t afford ready meals.”
Gregg was impressed by Daisy’s self-taught skills, which meant she could knock up a bechamel sauce for lasagne or a roux for macaroni cheese in seconds.
He said: “I was like, ‘Were you taught? Did you go to college?’ No, she didn’t. It’s through absolute necessity.”
Gregg reckons politicians have plenty to learn from people like Daisy. “I honestly think the Government should grab somebody like her as an example of what can be done,” he added. “It would be nice to have her as a kind of Governmentsponsored teacher. She’s got so much to give in terms of cooking ability, planning ability, budgeting ability. I was amazed by her.” Gregg was shocked to learn the cost of having a disabled or ill child is three times that of a child without special needs. “The cost is prohibitive,” he said. “She doesn’t know how Rhys is going to be every morning until he wakes up. It’s impossible for her to have a full-time job, through no fault of her own.” Research conducted for Family Fund reveals that 90 per cent of families raising disabled children are struggling to pay their household bills, with average debts now set at about £5500.