A Girl Called Jack

I’m a girl called Jack. 25 years old (and not sure how much longer I can get away with calling myself a ‘girl’!) I’m a single mother to a Small Boy, and it’s been a bit of a year.

I started writing this blog in February 2012, when the local newspaper reported on its front page, a councillor saying that “Druggies, drunks and single mums are ruining the town.” I wrote an angry letter in, and started to attend local council meetings to see who the people running my town were, that made such sweeping judgements about people like me.

I was unemployed at the time, having left my £27,000 a year job in the fire service control room, as the 2 days, 2 nights shift pattern was impossible to find childcare around. I asked for flexible working, day work and job share posts, and was turned down. I resigned from a hospital bed, overdosed on prescription beta blockers for stress and over the counter sleeping pills.

I wasn’t prepared for the months and months of unemployment that followed, the delays with Housing Benefit claims, the rent arrears, the keeping up appearances to pretend that everything was okay as I applied for jobs every single day and heard nothing back.

In August, hungry and behind with the rent, with utility bills piling up and no longer able to keep the bailiffs at bay, I held a Big Open House Sale, putting everything in my home up for sale to members of the public in an effort to reconcile rent arrears, clear the accrued debts, and get back on my feet. Terrified that I was about to lose my home and tired of pleading with letting agents for ‘just another week’, I told myself that it was ‘only stuff’ as people walked away with my iPhone, TV, armchair, Small Boy’s toys, shoes, my piano, the coffee table I found in a charity shop with the beautiful tiles on top, the trinkets and knick knacks and the Wedgwood tea set I bought myself with my first pay cheque from the Fire Service. I told myself that I’d rather have had the four walls around me than all of the things inside it, gritted my teeth and carried on.

I raised enough money to pay off the arrears, the Eon account, the water bill, the bank charges – and moved to a smaller, cheaper flat the other side of the High Street.

I started to sell small hand-made things and my photography and declared myself Self Employed as the local newspaper asked me to write a regular weekly column. It wasn’t quite a job, but it was a start.

Somewhere in all of this, I started to write about food. I was writing about everything – job searching, local politics, events, parenthood – and as I was scraping by on a few quid a week, started to write up the recipes for the meals I was cooking for me and Small Boy. I hadn’t always cooked from scratch, in the worst times, I would buy three 77p Basics Macaroni Cheese meals, a carton of chopped tomatoes, and a bag of frozen spinach, mix them together, and watch as Small Boy ate something resembling a meal, and I drank a pint of water, envious of his processed gloop.

But something inside me snapped – back when I wrote Hunger Hurts – I knew something had to change. I went around my flat, and scooped up all of the change I could find in drawers, handbags, pockets. I took it to the supermarket at the end of my road, and bought one of everything from the value range. A can of kidney beans, a bag of vegetables, a carton of chopped tomatoes, pasta, rice… I took it home, put it on the side, and resolved to change something. From there I made chilli, pasta with tomato sauce, spiced soups, and for the first time in a long time, sat down with my son and had breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Later in the year, I was referred to a local food bank for help. My £10 a week food shop was supplemented with five cans of beans and/or chopped tomatoes, and nappies and formula milk for my son. I carried on writing recipes, carried on going to council meetings, carried on applying for jobs to try to get myself out of the mess.

And in February 2013, everything changed.

Firstly, Xanthe Clay, the food writer from the Telegraph, found me on Twitter and came round for lunch.

Secondly, the local newspaper offered me a trainee journalist’s position. I was standing at the local food bank at the time, having broken down on a support worker that I couldn’t cope any more, when the deputy editor phoned and offered me the job.

From there, life has moved very quickly and in very strange ways. I was offered a book deal for recipes for cooking simple, good meals from scratch. I speak at conferences on food poverty and food waste, have spoken in Parliament, and am off to the G8 summit as part of the Enough Food If campaign.

I have also moved into one bedroom in a shared house, which I share with my son, because despite some people’s assumptions, i’m not walking around with a fat cheque in my back pocket from my publishing deal, nor am I paid for my media work. I’m not out of the woods just yet.

I have been part of campaigns for Oxfam and Child Poverty Action Group, and am now a guest blogger for the Huffington Post, whose bio refers to me as ‘a passionate, if accidental, spokeswoman for the realities of poverty.’

I’m a girl called Jack. Local newspaper reporter, food blogger, politics hound, Huff Post blogger, columnist, photographer, mother, woman who can do a hundred things with a can of chopped tomatoes. This year has taught me that we only find out how strong we are when being strong is the only choice we have. It’s been a roller coaster, a whistlestop tour of mucking up everything – but I wouldn’t change a thing.

Jack Monroe. Twitter: @MsJackMonroe

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25 replies »

  1. From the young girl in high school who sang at Star for a Night….to where and what you are now – I am amazed and proud of your strength both physical and mental. I can say with certainty you inspire others xx

  2. Hi Jack. Love your stuff. Keep up the good work and dont let the buggers ever get you down. Your life will turn out well, of that I have no doubt.

  3. so,
    a) do you work?
    b) do you pay taxes ?
    c) do you pay your own rent / mortgage ?
    Bet the answer is:
    a) Not legally / declared.
    b) No way.
    c) No, housing benefit / child benefit etc

    • a) Yes I work.
      b) Apart from a period of unemployment from November 2011 – September 2012, yes I have always paid taxes.
      c) Yes I pay my rent, and rent private accommodation.

      I hope you didn’t actually bet on that, because you lost on all three counts.

      • Well said, Jack. It is unbelievable that there are people who really believe that anyone would want to be poor, on benefits and not work and that they think that people would actually opt for this in some way as an easy option. I am lucky. For now at least money is OK but who knows how long this will last as life is so unpredictable. I pay taxes and believe that this is necessary to ensure that society is a decent place for my kids to grow up in. I have three kids and as our whole family is vegetarian I just love your blog and have cooked many similar things myself on many occasions. I am lucky enough to be able to afford some luxuries for now but processed food is something that I try really hard to avoid as strongly believe that meat and processed foods are one the reasons that we have so many health problems (particularly cancer) in our society. I may be wrong but I am much happier to actually know what my kids are eating! Oh, and jam! Don’t forget jam. So much free fruit out there at the right time of year! Good luck with it all. I now have a big list of your recipies to try out! :)

  4. If there’s one thing I hate about the internet it’s people who slag off others whilst not being prepared to give their real names. It’s just cowardice.

  5. well said Ian and Jack chin up trolls belong under a bridge

  6. Loved your inspiring article in the Evening Echo. Picked up a copy in Ambleside College Cafe.Very inspiring and real ‘grassroots’ understanding of life. I predict you are on the verge of a new Journalistic career, as well as giving Talks to Young Mums’groups and the like. Am going to photocopy your article and tell others about your website. Well done Jack!

  7. I read an article about you in The Telegraph today. I believe that you have a good career in journalism (and related fields ) ahead of you. Well done for being perceptive, creative and determined. I don’t know which I am most impressed with – your cooking and budgetary skills or your awareness and writing skills. Anyway, you’ve made my day with your enterprise and I will read your blog whenever I get the time.
    Jack of all trades – tip top.

  8. Two words ‘go girl’. Saw you on tv this morning, very impressed with your outlook and attitude. I will be following your blogs from now on.

  9. I also saw you on the news this morning. You are a real inspiration to other young people out there. Really love your ‘can do’ attitude. Looking forward to trying out your recipes even although i am not on a tight budget – they looked yummy!

  10. Absolutely inspired by your feature on bbc Breakfast. I’m going to try your cooking for a week. You are great.

  11. I have been this broke when I was young growing up with my single parent Mum and not quite so, on recent occasions. I think you highlighting, through various medias, poverty in the UK is fantastic and I applaud you for taking the bit between your teeth and getting it out there!

    New follower here!

    With respect

    Jonquil x

  12. Wow- your T.V. interview moved me to tears – my ‘children’ are your age/generation and you are an inspiration – hope you (and your little boy) have a lovely life; we have tried the lentil burgers and they were wonderful.. Everything that goes around comes around – and you and many others of your generation are going back to ‘real’ cooking – well done. Debbie

  13. Our children provide us with our strength and inspiration. Looks like you you have harnessed yours wisely. Well done and best wishes for your very bright future. Great blog- can’t wait to get started on the recipes.

  14. I just wanted to say I think your blog and recipes in particular are brilliant! Money is always tight for me so I will definitely be trying out some of your recipes! I also happen to work in a supermarket so I am lucky in the way I will get 10% off as well! Thanks again, I think a lot of people in Britain especially could learn from you!

  15. Please email me and I’ll give you my phone number. I live in Southend too and I’d really like to help you out with some weekly foodshopping. We could meet at sainsburys in Southend.

    Sarah x

  16. Your son is going to grow up to be an amazing man with a role model such as yourself, showing him drive, determination and positive thinking ! Amazing what you’ve achieved ! Inspiring !

  17. I understand that you’ve got a job now as a reporter, and a book deal. WELL DONE. The next step (if you’re up for it) is to get elected as a MP. Heaven knows this country needs honorable representatives who’ve actually HAD a job outside of politics – and have tasted the utter despair & degradation of being branded scroungers by the weak minded people who’ve been brainwashed by this governments propaganda machine. Speaking of propaganda, if you want an insight into the ideology of this gov & it’s continual vilification of the weak, unemployed, disabled etc then read the study by Dr Mark Mostert, it’s titled “Useless eaters”, Here’s the web address – http://www.regent.edu/acad/schedu/uselesseaters/today.html
    I’m sure you’ll find it disturbing – I did !!

  18. Amazing recipes – so inspired – a big big thank you Jack

  19. Jack, you are an amazing woman. I am a volunteer for The Foodbank and I know the hardship that so many people are going though. It makes me so mad when the recipients of food parcels are described as wasters and scroungers because I know that the vast majority of them are just like you, deperate for work or even have a job but so badly paid they cannot manage their rent and bills as well as food.
    Please keep going and if you do stand for Parliament I would vote for you.

  20. Jack, you are truly inspirational. I like to think that I’m pretty good at rustling something up from bits left in the fridge, but you are doing it much better, on a budget much less than mine. Best of luck in the future – I would love to see you as an MP!

  21. I heard about your blog at a WI meeting and don’t often use the Internet but wanted to tell you how wonderful your recipes and how inspiring you must be for many many peoplr

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