So I stumbled across these threads after being absolutely sick to the back teeth of JM's schtick and have finally got through most of the threads (working full time and have a one year old so haven't read it all in mega detail!).
Anyway, I've had two indirect dealings with JM in the last few years. The first was through Southend Borough Council, who were a client of mine years ago. Someone on their marketing team, who was a really lovely, no-BS individual and definitely not the kind to spread gossip, told me after a glass or two at our summer do that she was a former friend of JM and they had an ex in common. Apparently JM was known for being an absolute pain in the backside, pretending to be broke when actually their family is pretty comfortable and they moved themselves into a friend's flat for months on end while pregnant. Apparently JM was a total nightmare and made life a living hell for their friend (using non-binary pronouns as as far as I'm aware JM still identifies as NB, correct me if I'm wrong though!).
Cut to about five years later, and I'm working at a PR agency in the North East. We're doing pro bono work for a local charity that works with some of the most deprived families in the country, donating food boxes, arranging classes in cooking, budgeting, child development etc - all good stuff, and all done within the community by people who have been in that situation themselves. Amazing stuff. So when JM releases Tin Can Cook and bangs on and on in their tweets about how much they're donating to charity, food banks etc, we get in touch to ask if they can donate a few copies to give out to families. I chase for weeks and no luck, eventually go through their publisher and get the shittiest print-outs of a few crappy recipes, weeks late.
Anyway, nothing groundbreaking to reveal but wanted to vent! Having one of those weekends!
