If you're here and you are new to Jack, please go to Wiki 1, where we have lots of info at the top for new frauen / herren.
Page 2 of this wiki details Jack's grift, including:
Tax
Coming soons (things she's promised and not delivered on)
2022 Patreon stats
Jack's many possessions
Food shopping and recipes
Bad politics
Other issues with Jack
What to do if you have been taken in by Jack
Credit to @Hunsgraveyard for this advice
Have you been scammed by Jack Monroe? If so here's some places you can report it (we're seeing a lot of new frauen joining, who've previously given money to her):
Reporting via these channels will help put the brakes on Jack's grift.
Have you been taken in by one of Jack Monroe's recipes? If so you are not alone...seven books full of slop and very little actually works. She frequently underestimates costs and portion sizes as well. See the Slopalong for more info.
If you don't have much cash in this cost of living crisis, please don't buy a Jack Monroe book. There are many free resources on the internet that you can turn to instead.
Jack's Tax
Jack's limited company, On a Bootstrap Ltd, was dissolved via compulsory strike-off on 26 July 2022.
A limited company must file two documents with Companies House each year: a confirmation statement and a set of accounts. The company was incorporated on 16 March 2018 and with a year end of 31 March, should have filed its first accounts by 31 December 2019. No accounts were filed and a first gazette notice for compulsory strike-off was given on 11 February 2020, which was discontinued on 29 February 2020. The first accounts for year ending 31 March 2019 were eventually filed on 16th June 2020, nearly six months late.
The accounts for year ending 31 March 2020 benefited from the three-month filing extension given to all companies by Companies House because of COVID and so weren't due to be filed until 31 March 2021. Neither the accounts nor the confirmation statement were filed and another first gazette notice for compulsory strike-off was given on 8 June 2021. This was discontinued on 18 June 2021 after the confirmation statement was filed on 17 June 2021.
A further six months passed with no accounts submitted and a third first gazette notice for compulsory strike-off was given on 14 December. Accounts for year ending March 2021 were due to be filed by 31 December 2021, but were not.
On 8 January 2022 a notice stating compulsory strike-off had been suspended. The most usual reason for this is that a creditor of the company, normally HMRC, has been notified of the strike-off and believes that there are assets or funds within the company that can be used to settle the amount owed.
In April 2022 Jack admitted in a Tweet that she was 'dealing with the situation' and that the unpaid tax was due to disorganisation and severe depression (and possibly ADHD). An attempt was made to estimate the level of fines that might have accumulated due to her failure to file the required documents on time.
On 2 July 2022 Jack tweeted that she would be speaking to HMRC the following Tuesday and on 26 July 2022 the company was dissolved by compulsory strike-off. The obvious assumption to make is that Jack and HMRC came to an agreement over how much the company owed and the amount was settled to HMRC's satisfaction, allowing the strike-off to proceed.
Jack is not disqualified from acting as a company director and therefore could set up a new company if she wished, but she can also choose to work as a sole trader, filling in a self-assessment form each year to declare her income, which means her financial situation will not be publicly-available information like the company's accounts were.
Jack's Coming Soons
A frequently updated list of all the recipes, articles, blog posts, projects etc that Jack herself has said she will do. Includes green ticks and evidence for when she completes something:
£15 a week lunches
£20 shops as a whole
3 recipes per week in 2022
4 blogs a week in 2023
9 half-written manuscripts
15 minute meals
24 tweet thread of proving the trolls wrong
35 recipes from a £20 shop, pick your fave
2000 words for print glossy GQ awards
a few announcements
adding to twitter thread of plants as they bloom
advent calendar
aged chicken thigh bone stock
alcohol free versions of recipes
another walk in a restricted mod area
apple and pear crumble with brown sugar
austerity book
base system going in next book
BBC show guest on dr rupy's iplayer show
best value vegetables for squig
big press photo shoots
big work
black bean brownies recipe
black bean recipes from poll
black pudding pastitsio
BLM video monetization donation
blog a simple recipe
blog about energy companies' profits and nationalising stuff
blog of heatwave foods
blog post excited about for ages
bollocking rishi sunak
book on culinary history
book signing in Belfast
books for slow cooker appeal
books for the rural coffee caravan
confirmed never arrived 17.2.22 by rcc twitter
Brand New System for desk wallpaper
bright blue think tank updates
brioche balls brioche, mincemeat and camembert wreath
broccoli, creamy cannellini beans and fish
broccoli breakfast pasta
budget shopping article
Camp Kitchen from the shed
cannelini bacon and pork belly pie
carrot cake baked oats
chestnut fudge thing
chicken livers
chicken nuggets with black pudding crumb
chocolate and prune oats
Christmas condiment
Christmas leftovers caesar salad - nov 2022
Christmas pie and mash - due 3.1.23
cinnamon granola recipe
coconut oil etc mouthwash quantities
coffee scrub
column for the Breakdown
comic filter security
comparison of 2021 £20 shop to 2022 £20 shop
compiling list of independent food banks
Conditions of Bungalow Bubbling lessons
cooking for one book
cost of living crisis recipes in one category
crispy fish recipe
curating regular book recommendations
David Walliams book reviews
dauphinoise pie
dealing with paying taxes
deep pinky purple mascarpone ice cream
denim shirt embroidery commissions
depressipes
detailed blog on nutrition
devilled eggs recipe completed it, mate
diabetic recipes
dig out microwave and kettle recipes
DM to Yel
drawing nigella's garden
dyeing all clothes black
easy care for cutlery
email household management book to agent
ethical on a budget
explain daily usage of pythagoras theorem something to do with rishi sunak
extremely useful stuff
festive pop tarts
festive vegan loaf peeling pie
filing accounts
flannel blog
flapjack recipe
folding fitted sheets in seconds
food truck of joy
fulfilling all patreon commitments 2022 edition
gailymail
giant caramelised banana and chocolate pancake
goat kleftiko
gold rush xmas presents
great resources by trans + non binary writers
greek cook book
greens, eggs and ham
half-written budget xmas recipes
handing over her platform to poc
haybox and thermos cooking
healthy on a bootstrap
hecking big decluttering
helping disability and mental health writers
history of York road market
homemade hand sanitiser
homemade cleaning items
homemade dog biscuits
homemade houmous secret ingredients
huge depop or Ebay sale
mushroom butter
New Thing
newspaper campaign the fucking express
no- and low-fuel cooking (kinda) the bromelain in canned pineapple is denatured
no waste cook book (on twitter for world earth day)
nutrition degree
onion chopping song
open the space squig box
Other Plans for cabbage
ouchy mouth recipes
painstakingly costed menu for week under £20
pastry recipe
patreon update
peasants pudding recipe
photos of Rather Renegade xmas dinner 2022
picture of tree postcards
pistachio milk
pointing out real plants
pork and lentil bolognese
postcards, postcards, postcards
poverty memoir
puttanesca soup
quick pickling
radish recipes
recipe roundup on Instagram
recipes for small people
red ephemera soup recipe
redoing dinner to get better light
report for work and pensions committee
repotting spider plants from a friend
reshooting beach pottery in daylight
rooting out Amazon from website
running around in heels with a Tall Man
GQ awards 2020. no evidence of running or dancing, but Marcus is tall. she didn't even personally hand him the award.
running order for xmas dinner
salt and vinegar sardines and spaghetti
sardine tin print
sausage and kale slop
Secret Ingredient - possibly banana skin
secret stock ingredient
human dreamies
potato water
selling books on website again
send squig mandarin carrot recipe
sending maple syrup tin to fan
serious work
serving libel papers to fox/daubney/anderson
set up mastodon
setting her teenage musings to music
sexy kitchen makeover reason
shopping trolley viewed Sept 2021, unclear if gift
sideboard photos reason
sleep hygiene routine
slow cooker bubble bath
slow cooker recipes, maybe for depher
slow cooker xmas dinner - before xmas 2021
some kind of timetable for SB in lockdown
something about how money buys time
something else Jack'll remember sometime
soup for bed recipe
spite recipe
split peas and cooking bacon
squigs pick eyeshadow looks
super secret shopping trip hack
thrifty kitchen published january 2023 - quarterhack
supper nanny
support cabal for bullied media types
swamp thing
sweet and sour soup
sweet potato caramel
t shirts with offensive slogan actually done within 3 hours 1.2.22
t shirt profits to trussell trust updates
teemill profits
thread about moving house
thrifty shades of beige
Thursday thunder clap
tiktok
tin juice cordial recipe
tomato soup water content done
train video for squig
transcribing and blogging non binary talk
transcribing government bollocking
translation of a Greek Cypriot cookbook
unorthodox cheese sauce - done
unorthodox courgette squishing
Up To Something
uses for juice from del monte tins
various cornflakes chicken recipes
vegan char sui buns
vegan cheese list
vegan crackling deep-fried rice paper apparently, admitted April 2022. this was among the original items on this list, first posited in late 2019, preceding these threads
vegan diabetic creme egg (maybe)
vegan haggis
vegan pastitsio in collab with Linda
vegan paella with artichokes
vegan pie glaze
vegan version of upside down pineapple chicken
Vimes Boots Price Index - due mid February 2022
visit Poland
weekly routine
write about diva pdf experience
write about sobriety
writing a thing about tories and 30p meals
zero waste curry falafels
Patreon and other begging
Despite 6 books and brand deals with Unilever and Del Monte Jack Monroe struggles to make ends meet and regularly turns to her audience to financial assistance via Twitter, pointing towards her long standing Patreon account or her PayPal link frequenting her bio.
The first recorded (currently) mentions of Patreon and the Tipjar functionality appear in 2017.
Many of these requests for donations have been made shortly before or after a significant and unnecessary expense (e.g. a city break in Edinburgh, a new SMEG fridge, £100 on vintage spoons from Ebay). The most egregious example came on the same day she tweeted that she had paid her wedding deposit.
She has a long standing Patreon with circa 700 (as of Feb 2022) Patrons, yet still tweets implying that she can't afford to turn her heating on. In late January 2022, Nigella Lawson signal-boosted the Patreon to her huge following, resulting in an increase in Patrons from around 250 to more than 700.
Assuming that everyone is signed up to the lowest £3.50 tier (many will have pledged more), this is estimated to earn Jack at least £2,200 a month, but the true figure may be much higher.
Despite passively receiving more Patreon cash each month than many people earn working full time (and having multiple other income streams besides), within a week of gaining 500 new Patrons she was shaking her begging tin yet again, asking for donations to fix her website.
As of September 2022, there is mounting evidence from subscribers on Twitter that Jack has not provided any of the promised benefits or physical rewards for almost two years, despite the subscription money continuing to go into her account every month (Patreon offers a function for creators to pause subscriber payments if they are unable to honour rewards for a period of time - it seems Jack has not thought to do this).
People who have contacted her on her public social media asking for refunds (having failed to be granted the courtesy of a response when contacting Jack privately) have been blocked and dismissed as "trolls.". She has also ignored repeated requests for her monthly income to be made visible, which is recommended by Patreon themselves - stating on one occasion that "It doesn't matter what the figure is." This seems at odds for someone so rigorously honest and keen on transparency, particularly where the financial interests of other public figures are concerned.
On the rare occasions Jack deigns to acknowledge the Patreon issue, she has promised an update is "coming soon" (no update has transpired) and claimed to be behind on "outstanding admin" (which seems a rather understated description of taking payments from hundreds of people for two years without providing anything in return).
In January 2023, Jack claimed in the Guardian that she had now fulfilled all Patreon rewards. However she did not post any update on her Patreon itself and squigs continued to report they had received nothing.
Jack's Patreon was hacked in December 2023, and figures of her apparent income from Patreon were published on social media. In January 2022 she earned the highest figure, of almost £11,000 a year; this was due to her getting a boost from Nigella, and a number of people paying for a year upfront. Over the course of the next two years the subscribers steadily fell, although she averaged around £3k-£4k a month. By the time of the hack she was down to £1,214 which still would cover most of her rent (Jack has repeatedly said her rent is £1,300.)
Thrifty Shades of Beige/ Postcards
Jack set up a Patreon around Aug 2020, and shortly after invented the basic level (pay £3 per month to Jack and you will be rewarded with “a sense of well-being” however pay £10 per month and Jack will send an exclusive high quality recipe photo card of British comfort food each week, as well as a monthly discount code for the Jack shop. Discount codes were posted on 2 or 3 months in late 2020. As at September 2022, no word on anyone ever having received ANY postcards AT ALL, though Jack has now stated she will be sending everyone all the rewards due (which may mean some Patrons receive 100 postcards at once).
2022 Patreon stats - updated monthly
The analysis of her Patreon income through December 2022 is available here. Thank you to @heretoreaditall2019 for the sterling work on the tracker. 2023 stats are in Wiki 4.
Jack's many possessions - as photographed / mentioned by her
We all know that Jack Monroe is extremely poor - after all she keeps telling us on the reg! And yet...here we have a list of triangulated possessions seen in her very own photographs published online (and / or mentioned by her online). Perhaps this is the reason she can't save up for a house deposit as yet? Jack is very fortunate and has stated frequently that many of her possessions have been gifted or found in a puddle - truth or lie? You decide!
Latest stocktake [03/06/2023]
Notes from @That Forensic Man:
Anything spenny is fair game, but I will add whatever fraus want.
My own benchmark is discretionary or 'non-essential' spend in the context of someone who claims to not be able to afford shower gel or 6p for butter instead of lard etc.
Jack moves things around constantly so try to avoid double counting.
Instagram is a literal and figurative gold mine.
If I like your stocktake post it means I've seen it and will include in the next update.
Please provide the price and description line for the item so I can add it straight to the stocktake e.g. "£158 orange nike trainers (asda trip)"
New items are in bold, the numbers before the items are £ value.
Have fun.
Now fuck off x
100x rolls of paper for photo backgrounds
10x huge bags of clothes (donated away)
2x round copper side/end/bedside table
3x christmas trees
3x engagement rings
3x identical jumpers green/grey/orange
Artificial snow
'basic' belt
baskets, baskets everywhere
blue sectional sofa
blue stripey viv trazzers
blue velvet curtains she lovingly fondles
calvin klein rug blue/white?
cassette table that Andy The Sound Guy from the Samsung shoot made
copper desk lamp
copper kettle
cream desk lamp
diesel lost in lust leather jacket black
double monk shoes black
drinking glasses (content approved)
dusty plastics string of pearls plant
fake tan
fancy crockery (shitloads)
fancy teabags (no naughty comments about elaborate teabagging. WARNED)
food storage (shitloads, kilner jars etc.)
furniture and set dressing for the shed outside that she was going to turn into a studio
gold and pink flowers teapot
gold padded armchair
headphones trashed by gluing flowers on
hundreds of pounds she spends on her private prescriptions
Jo Malone candles
laptops for 'team of staff'
lawnmower
Le Creuset
leapord print shoes oxfam
leather jackets
leather suitcase light brown
lightbulb desk lamp
matching ceiling light fittings throughout bungalow
monsoon silk floral dress blue
plastic flower headdress phase
red adjustable floor lamp (similar to anglepoise but no mechanism)
red teardrop drop hoop earrings
Rigby and Peller bras
'sexy 60th' red and black leopard print (?) Groucho Awards dress
'shoe obsession'
special spice-jar-grabbing tongs (assumed)
Australian herbal teas
squishy sofa
teeth whitening (maybe filter)
tents
THAT BLOODY LAMP
The hen with the rubber eggs for nesting hens?
The new pair of boots she bought after wearing the taped together pair for a while on TV (despite having other pairs ...?)
TV in her bathroom
velvet sofabed
vintage walking stick brass handle
watch with chunky silver strap
watch with flowery strap
watch worn at Groucho awards
Sticky brown poo copper saucepan
lovely bright red pestle and mortar that was a gift from a friend
Melodian
Denby - Halo and Halo Speckle
Made.com crockery (£130 for a 12-piece dinner set)
Pregnacare Pregnancy vitamins
blue tits (birds) scarf
cerise corduroy jacket
Clothes
110 2x Oliver Bonas jumpers
35 boiler suit (which was dyed pink)
300 trouser suit she wore for the Diva photoshoot (and ofm awards)
75 Sweaty Betty leggings
300 2x Viv westwood dress (assume sale)
200 R&P bras (x 2 minimum)
350 Warm & wonderful diana sheep jumper
10 horrendous steam punk clock leggings (worn once)
116 Instagram look
49 Ted Baker pyjamas
45 jolly warehouse skirt (balls was it £5)
12 'limited edition' vest
3 Asda Cream Gratitude Slogan Sweatshirt (kids)
110 Two pairs of granny curtain boiler suits
12 2x dylon machine dye
450 Vivienne Westwood Red Label 2014 red tartan trazzers
450 Vivienne Westwood dark red tartan trazzers
550 Vivienne Westwood anglomania mid length dress
350 Vivienne Westwood anglomania vintage white shirt blouse
325 Vivienne Westwood worlds end snap button conquistador plaid waistcoat (beige)
600 Vivienne Westwood matching plaid trazzers (beige)
600 Vivienne Westwood womens grey pants (plaid)
3325
100 calvin klein sportswear
150 nike pro sportswear
865 joesph stretch leather leggings (ew)
20 genderation t-shirt
35 M&S COLLECTION Pure Cotton Flannel Check Shirt khaki
16 M&S COLLECTION Unisex Cotton Rich Zip Through Hooded (8-9 Yrs) navy
14 Punx 'workers of the world unite' t-shirt black with red star
70 Liverpool FC Nike Womens Away Stadium Jersey 21/22
56 Sugarhill Brighton Rita Rainbow Heart Jumper white
4 H&M playsuit blue
45 Superdry Classic Lumberjack Shirt pink
45 Dickies Lightweight Cotton Coverall Overall Reflective - Navy Blue
25 'not up for grabs' classic t-shirt
12 fire brigades union t-shirt (probably nicked)
3 childrens jumper with city names green
55 nike womens essential hoodie yellow
0 counting crows blue script star t-shirt (included in VIP package)
56 Trespass womens wicking active leggings vivien
50 Trespass duoskin womens top (estimate)
12 Sainsbury's t-shirt with dogs on (frau owned)
58 Gender Free World Penguin Short Sleeve Shirt
90 Monsoon tunic dress blue embellished (estimate)
15 Asda flamingo shirt
400 ten pairs of identical jeans (estimate £40 each)
300 ten identical denim shirts (estimate £30 each)
190 2x Heist bodysuits
35 Heist bralette
20 Tesco F&F Oh What Fun Jumper
15 Asda George rainbow stripes sleeve jumper (estimate) 20 Nirvana smiley T shirt
40 Joe Browns rock chick check trousers green
14 Tesco tweed blazer
Jackets
5000 Burberry brit jacket black ($5-6k)
1790 Burberry short islington trench coat
339 All Saints balfern suede biker jacket deep cherry
300 All Saints leather jacket black
36 Topshop denim jacket
144 4x other denim jackets (estimate £36 ea.)
109 Joules coast waterproof jacket antique gold
370 The North Face mens gotham jacket black
Accessories
780 2x Burberry scarves (one for her and one for LJC)
146 Ray Ban sunglasses (one pair, probably multiple)
60 mary poppins parrot umbrella
300 3x wigs (assumed, £100 ea.)
60 Boy london snap back black/gold hat ($60)
290 Burberry lightweight check wool silk scarf
375 Burberry scarf mustard
15 Liverpool FC scarf
635 Moschino Women's Leopard-print Calf Hair Pouch
12 Gucci monogram double ring belt black gold dupe
14 2x Scribbler 'fuck off' eye mask
0 personalised lanyard (gift from squig)
0 Tiggy & Bo green leapord shoulder bag (freebie, to put things in) 476 Stetson Hatteras pigskin leather cap dark brown (aka wax suede stetson hat) (£119 ea.)
35 Specialized 5-panel cap pink
Bags
795 Mulberry elkington oak bag
14 Mulberry bag replacement Oliver Bonas strap
20 Kangol shoulder bag
60 Cath Kidston rucksack
2450 7x Kate Spade bags (1 for each book deal, average £350 each)
Shoes
180 Dr Martens 2976 alyson wintergrip chelsea boots brown
120 Dr Martens willow edition boots
7 Dr. Martens willow boots replacement Dr. Martens Round Shoe Laces Yellow
120 Dr Martens red boots
158 Nike Epic React Flyknit orange trainers (asda trip)
245 Russell & Bromley chester tassel loafer (dubious provenance, worn to Edinburgh book festival 2022)
245 Downing Street' leopard monstrosities with block heels
245 Third pair of 'spenny loafers' (assumed)
100 Magnum boots
895 Jimmy Choo ren sandals blue 2016
750 Christian Louboutin Audrey Strappy Glitter Sandal
85 Converse leather black
350 Church's brogues
215 Russell and Bromley charlize theresa may jobbies
190 Nike Air Max Vapormax 360 (grey gold white)
190 Nike Air Max Vapormax 360 Fossil Metallic (silver black white)
35 Firefighter 4000 boots with pull ups
158 Nike flyknit red trainers (priced per orange ones)
190 Nike Air Max Vapormax 360 (black)
189 Dr Martens sinclair boots black
100 Magnum boots red laces
150 Nike Air Max 98 leopard print 2019
120 Joules womens westbourne luxe chelsea boots brown ocelot
20 Dorothy Perkins leopard print jobbies
20 Primark black chunky chain detail lace up boots
100 Irregular Choice Elevenses teapot heels (estimate) 100 Nike Free Run 5.0 black 2014 (estimate)
60 Vans high top brown pattern
Jewellery
1550 2x Tiffany pearl hoop earrings sterling silver (two pairs)
485 Tiffany 1837 Makers I.D. Tag Pendant in Sterling Silver, 24" (worn at arcade fire gig)
66 Tatty Devine Fishbone necklace
265 Pandora bracelet with at least 7 charms (£55 bracelet + 7x £30) that was lost
265 Pandora bracelet with at least 7 charms (£55 bracelet + 7x £30)
140 Sarah Akwisombe evil eye necklace 550 Tiffany Paloma Picasso Olive Leaf Pearl Earrings
715 Pandora necklace with 20+ charms (£115 necklace + 20x £30 charms)
255 The Great Frog Strange Fruit Anatomical Heart Ring
Watches
7450 Breitling Navitimer
600 Omega seamaster (replica?)
130 Finn watch
150 Garmin watch
199 Apple watch (assume series 3)
150 Rotary Swiss Commando limited edition caged watch 1990s (gift from big Dave)
200 Fitbit versa 1st gen
0 Adventure Time finn watch (gift from grandma)
150 Fitbit charge 2
20 Apple watch pride rainbow strap
20 Apple watch yellow strap
45 Casio CA-506-1 Calculator Stainless Steel Band Watch
Cosmetics
800 77x Lipsticks
200 14x Foundations
250 40x Eyeliners
500 misc makeup
900 Vie Aesthetics botox (estimate, £300/3 areas x 3 treatments)
3960 Vie Aesthetics fillers (estimate, £330/ml x 3ml per year x 4 years)
1056 Haircuts at Toni & Guy, Woo Hair etc. (estimate, £66 x 4 per year x 4 years)
3000 2x tattoo sleeves (estimate, £1,500 per sleeve)
150 Penhaligons fragrance
134 stinkbug eyeshadow look (no freebies hint hint)
70 Jean Paul Gaultier classique 2 piece music gift box ('her partners')
13 Superdrug Me+ Vitamin C with Squalane Booster 30ml
22 CK one fragrance
54 3x Lush sleepy body lotion (£10, £18 or £30 ea.)
13 Sanctuary Spa Radiance Illuminating Whipped Moisture Cream
20 load of baby teething necklaces for ouchy mouth
8 Turkish barber 18/11/22
14
Furniture
400 Cotswold Company small sideboard (living room, blue)
229 Cotswold Company tallboy (bedroom, ivory)
799 Cotswold Company chester dove grey writing bureau (similar)
849 Cotswold Company oakland rustic oak dining table
399 Cotswold Company oakland rustic oak storage bench
2396 2x Cotswold Company chester dresser
1529 Cotswold Company chester grand dresser
299 Cotswold Company bookcase (porch, used for manky wooden photography boards)
800 2x Cotswold Company small sideboards
499 Cotswold Company chester dove grey wine console
599 Cotswold Company chester large sideboard
699 Cotswold Company chester large sideboard (wine rack version)
800 2x Cotswold Company oakland rustic oak hidden shoe storage bench
730 Cotswold Company chester dove grey extra large dresser top
369 Cotswold Company chester dove grey shoe storage bench (bathroom)
999 Cotswold Company chester dove grey grand sideboard (for extra large dresser top)
249 Cotswold Company Westcote Blue Coffee Table with Drawers
849 Cotswold Company Westcote Inky Blue Extra Large Sideboard
1299 Cotswold Company Westcote Cream Large Double Larder
319 11x Cotswold Company standard delivery (22 investment pieces, say 2 pieces per delivery)
2232 8x Made Kendal dining chairs teal
384 8x Argos maine narrow bookcase white
144 3x Argos maine narrow bookcase oak effect
60 3x Argos maine tall CD DVD tower oak effect
80 2x Ikea helmer white 6 drawer unit
1350 Hopkins SPITE SOFA (designers guild florence 2 seater)
785 Chesterfield the captain's swivel chair (mid-price range)
400 John Lewis hammock
400 John Lewis egg chair
575 Next westcott no footend double bed
150 6x metal folding chairs (for her Mormon tabernacle Amish prayer circle fellowship things)
200 4x metal patio chairs (for her Mormon tabernacle Amish prayer circle fellowship things)
150 2x IKEA TOBIAS Chair, transparent/chrome-plated
840 2x The Orchard Button Back Upholstered Chair Oatmeal Fabric with Wooden Legs
600 Aldi hammock chairs at £300 a piece
2375 CHESTERFIELD SOFA
50 2x B&M Lokken 4 Cube Basket Storage Unit White
30 12x storage cubes (at least) (£5 for 2)
4400 Antique fluted barrel back wingback leather library chair (median price)
140 shipping for wingback (average)
299 2x Made Marvel bar stools brass
1196 4x Made Kendal dining chairs tan
29 IKEA bekvam step stool white
29 IKEA bekvam step stool brown
45 IKEA bekvam stepladder 3 steps
Kitchen
250 magnetic Allegra spice jars
104 rusty eBay spoons
80 Emma Bridgewater toaster with TOASTER on it
140 4x Ikea hejne 'cheapo shoe racks' for seasonal crockery
72 9x Ikea knagglig wooden box
420 3x Sophie Conran for Portmeirion Coupe Dinnerware Set, White, 12 Pieces (4x dinner plates, 4x small Plates, 4x bowls)
184 8x Sophie Conran for Portmeirion Mugs, White (£46/2, assume she has 8)
100 8x Sophie Conran squiggly shell plates (£50/4, 5x shown)
100 8x Sophie Conran squiggly noodle bowls (£50/4, 2x shown)
124 8x Sophie Conran squiggly pasta bowls (£62/4, 2x shown)
84 8x Sophie Conran squiggly cereal bowls (£42/4, 6x shown)
21 Sophie Conran squiggly pitcher
300 kitchen aid
400 20x John Lewis clear plastic storage bins
290 Baywood 33 drawer tea chest
30 John Lewis Perspex cube pasta storage with pink lids
35 7x full set of oversized unicorns/animal mugs from Asda (£5 ea.)
425 Graham and Green birdcage lampshade
65 SimpleHuman hand soap dispenser (kitchen)
2500 Smeg fridge (double American style)
400 ooni pizza oven (freebie)
56 7x Wilko snake charmer kitchen baskets
479 Nespresso creatista plus coffee machine (doesn't drink coffee)
899 Rangemaster cooker
45 Bialetti moka color blue 6 cup
45 Bialetti moka express silver 6 cup
70 Nutribullet 600 (replacement)
0 chest freezer (second hand free allegedly)
700 2x chest freezers
60 Rock tumbler
5 Tesco zencker enamel medium pie dish
40 campingaz stove (blue)
10 blue travel kettle
4 Asda rainbow butter dish
70 Dunelm Retro 20L 800W Pink Digital Microwave
70 nutribullet (dead)
70 blue microwave
70 copper microwave
25 cream toaster
25 glass kettle (broken because adhd)
25 pink kettle
10 wilko slow cooker white (for shower gel)
0 replacement wilko slow cooker white (freebie)
40 slow cooker black (for coffee)
3 asda glass salt/pepper grinder
3 Joie Spud Dude peeler
5 flower saucepan (oxfam)
9 H&M plate green fancy
30 vintage weighing scales small (msg use only)
10 2x lidl moscow mule copper mugs
28 BRITA water filter jug
305 61x (at least) high quality crystal clear food storage containers (shitloads) £5 ea. but go up to £20 ea.
18 metal bin cream
18 metal bin silver
10 25x Wilko hexagonal glass jars (£5 12pk)
4 tesco espresso cup with saucer black gold
6 Wilko copper effect bread bin
42 12x Wilko Copper Effect Tea and Coffee Canisters (£10.50 for 3)
28 BIA gold camel teapot
850 Samsung fridge freezer Series 5 RB38T665DSA 70/30 (very similar)
168 Denby Halo Coupe Dinnerware Set, 12 Piece, Blue
60 2x charity shop crockery hauls (£40 + £20)
30 victorinox swiss army knife
45 IKEA raksog utility cart blue
46 IKEA raksog utility cart green
136 Mauviel M'150B copper saucepan bronze handle 20 cm
200 Mauviel copper stew pan
200 Mauviel copper sauce pan
501 Viadurini Hand Tinned Copper Casserole, Lid and Arched Handle 28 cm - MariaG (middle size)
135 3x bento boxes insulated 3 tier grey bag (£45 ea.)
160 Gourmet GTSC002 Triple 3.9L Slow Cooker - Grey
38 Biscuiteers first aid kit
65 wilko cream/green flying ants kettle (estimate)
9 H&M Home 3-pack spoons gold-coloured (placenta porridge)
23 Royal multi tea spoons
50 food dehydrator (minimum)
11 Polish Pottery 165ml Creamer Milk Jug - Heart to Heart
22 Tesco go cook butchers block chopping board
135 Global Classic knife
300 Blok knife (Observer Food Award)
300 Mcusta Zanmai supreme ripple knife
265 blenheim forge nakiri knife
70 Joseph Joseph knives
35 ICEL meat cleaver
135 second Global knife
1000 knife roll she left on the train (at least) 140 Laguiole cutlery set, 18 piece/6 place settings, iridescence
25 Riess Enamel Pastel Milk Jug pink
200 iLife mopping robot (gift for parents Christmas 2020)
322 Arthur Price Old English Cutlery Set, 44 Piece/6 Place Settings
Bathroom
58 Squatty Potty Slim with Teak Finish Toilet Stool
20 etekcity bathroom scales (read: fuck off)
35 SimpleHuman Wall Mounted Shower Soap Pump Dispenser, Single
90 SimpleHuman Wall Mounted Shower Soap Pump Dispenser, Triple
88 8x John Lewis ultra soft cotton bath towel white (£11 ea.)
128 8x John Lewis ultra soft cotton bath sheet white (£16 ea.)
28 13x John Lewis ultra soft cotton face cloth white (£4/2)
Electronics
60 3x “tiles” for locating lost keys/phones by internet magic
80 Nokia 3310
40 Vintage ferguson radio casette recorder
549 55" TV
120 24" TV for SB's PlayStation
199 Airpods (dropped in cooking)
249 Airpods pro
300 Dyson hairdryer
110 Crosley cruiser suitcase turntable ('SB's' bedroom)
320 2x Roberts Revival Mini radio
900 6x DAB radios (£150 ea.)
199 Bodyclock luxe 700FM alarm clock
1200 iMac desktop
1000 Macbook pro
1000 other laptop
79 Apple mouse
249 1x tablet
100 2x microphones
100 3x sets of headphones
60 3x backup batteries
140 4x studio lights (ESDDI)
45 3x extension leads
30 1x pivot stand
539 1x Canon 700D as backup
700 Sony vaio laptop
1000 iPhone 13/14 Pro
300 30x records
20 2x short tripods
40 Sony walkman casette player green (WM-EX)
180 House of Marley Get Together Bluetooth Speaker
60 House of Marley Jammin' Positive Vibrations (EM-JH010-SU) On-Ear Headphones - Sun
750 hp all in one pc (estimate £500-£2k)
22 2x light/fountain speakers
180 Dyson V6 Car + Boat vacuum
619 v. old iphone for bike (at least 6S to update google maps, mid model)
250 brand new chromebook thing for Caroline (estimate)
829 Google Pixel 4 (mid model)
399 Yamaha P-45 digital piano
999 Macbook air M1 pink 2020
319 ipad 2021 (fell in a sink of hot water and bleach) (£319-459)
999 Google pixelbook 2017 (water damaged courtesy of visiting child during veganish published Dec 2019) (£629+)
999 Google pixelbook (assumed replacement seen in Jan 2021) (£629+)
467 samsung galaxy S7 phone silver
219 samsung galaxy J3 phone dark blue removable battery
0 samsung tablet (freebie from ad work)
476 samsung galaxy S7 phone dark blue
179 Humax FVP-5000T freeview play recorder
40 printer (estimate)
40 broken printer (estimate)
30 shredder (minimum)
998 2x Dyson purifier/fan
500 hp laptop red (estimate)
189 ipod classic 160gb (lost)
790 20,000 itunes songs at 79p each (assume bought 1000)
Home adornments
428 fancy knobs
72 antique bird of paradise porcelain door knobs and finger plates (bedroom door)
432 if she's done the other say 6 internal doors as well
35 two-headed Skellington dog plastic Halloween decoration
155 Morris & Co. Strawberry Thief curtains (median price £65-45)
37 Culinary Concepts gold s-shaped test tube vase (unboxed second, allegedly half price)
300 sentient mirror
2000 438x baubles
28 John Lewis llama doorstop
18 H&M peacock gold candlestick
100 10x H&M gold candlesticks
294 'I can't forget' screenprint navy/raspberry
10 squid game guard mask from the market
95 Abigail Aherne grey hare table lamp
12 Hare lamp replacement shade wilko wire cage hessian
12 Hare lamp replacement shade blue
30 flamingo neon light
20 furry piglet (?) duvet set
8 Edmond the solar pug
12 la savioe book box
30 3x wire cage lamp shade copper
20 'on air' small light
20 vintage metal tool box blue
140 2x Wilko Blair Floor Lamp Cream And Copper
270 French mid century brass piano lamp (closest match)
25 vintage kodak camera (bookend, brought back from Dordrecht)
370 2x big spotlight lamps on tripods
300 Harrods mirror (bedroom)
172 John Lewis Velvet Pair Lined Pencil Pleat Curtains Pink (median price £111-234)
100 vintage Laura Ashley curtains from eBay
12 Himalayan salt lamp
800 Louis De Poortere Bronx Azurite Rug, Blue L330 x W230cm
12 ASDA Extra Special Rose & Lily
5 ASDA Carefully Selected Isabella Bouquet
499 Tanglewood guitar
345 3x Habitat Tall 1 Door 4 Shelf Locker - Mustard
19 Craft/knitting storage bag cats
25 Catherine Lansfield Oh Deer! duvet quilt cover set double
25 John Lewis umbra sticks multi hook white 350 "We should hang something cool here" neon sign 1000mm
20 Abigail Aherne octopus wall hook
24 Argos Home Rayner Table Lamp - Black
349 Balsam Hill Christmas tree (estimate 6')
Books
63 Cabin Porn
31 Vivienne Westwood (RIP) 322 2022s 161 books (£2 ea.)
600 ~300 police procedurals, crime fiction and thrillers in 2 years (£2 ea.)
Work
1000 unread books (estimate)
543 32x copies of cooking on a bootstrap (kickstarter version) just sat there
15 6x ring binders (for coroner's reports)
525 35x moleskin notebooks
44 per roll wallpaper used as ADHD friendly “to-do” list
70 folding table
150 5x hastily installed curtains
4 1x actual tin can (eBay)
25 wooden calculator (unused)
60 12x Derwent colorsoft pencils
200 Sarah Akwisombe’s Money & Manifesting course
22 2x giveaway copies at big green books
34 CGD London 'Master Plan' notebook
Garden
420 3x VegTrugs (unknown quantity, £140 ea.)
150 wire racking (kept outside)
75 magnolia tree
80 2x Summit camping stove (shed)
37 large metal bin black (kept outside)
740 2x Astoria Grand Metts Round 2 Person Bistro Set
25 folding chair (glasto in the garden)
440 2 weeks skip hire
Exercise
1199 water rower
400 bike (estimate)
400 Carrera bike given to someone who's was stolen
249 Peak Design rucksack (asda romp)
140 Kathmandu transfer rucksack 38L
40 small longboard white
200 Osprey rucksack grey
400 stolen bike 1
400 stolen bike 2
400 Carrera hybrid bike (not stolen… yet)
45 kettlebells (assume set of 3 £15 ea.)
5 saw (for cutting down for sale signs) 400 2x Arbor prop longboards (£200 ea.)
Toys
100 CUDDLY TOY (Hamleys)
60 Lego flower bouquet
10 Jenga
350 Playstation (assumed 4)
0 small Star Wars figurines (safekeeping)
22 Scrabble
7 how to speak cat game
22 Jellycat amuseable toast soft toy
5 glowstick wristbands
0 wooden sleigh (taken from 'someone's driveway')
16 Tiveez 1000 Piece jigsaw puzzle - Amsterdam Sunset Bicycle
10 vintage Fisher Price chatter phone (current value)
20 62x Shopkins (put on birthday cake)
203 7x drawer full of Prowler 'old harolds' 100 Super Nintendo (estimate)
350 Xbox (estimate)
45 Lego bonsai tree
Pets
2200 content
150 puppy grooming package (£25 x 1pm x 6mo)
771 x-rays for sophie ellis pretzel
10 flappy fishy (for cooper)
9 pet pooch boutique dog collar
20 hi viz dog harness
9 burger (lol) dog toy
10 ball thrower
Travel
250 Sleeper to Edinburgh last min on a Friday
309 3 nights at Eden Locke, Edinburgh
170 Last minute train home on a Monday morning
360 cafe 3x weekly for 6 months (£5 x 3pw x 6mo)
20 Sad Asda shop
28 hoppa shopping trolley
250 Groucho joining fee
1900 Groucho membership (£950 per year x 2 years)
250 Glastonbury 2014 ticket (approx)
200 Latitiude festival 2016 ticket
280 Cambridge folk fest x4 (approx £70 ea.)
240 Counting crows butter miracle tour at hammersmith eventim apollo 2022 spare VIP ticket (front row package estimate)
8000 16 weeks in a posh aparthotel, with a fully stocked minifridge (estimate £500pw)
522 100x cardboard moving boxes
5000 lost flat deposit
Food
65 13x Quality Street tubs (£5 ea.)
1 2x Swizzels Double Dips
10 KFC bucket with 'cola' and mint viennetta
3 2x Viennettas (mint and birthday cake)
5 Marmite truffle
5 Marmite dynamite chilli
150 Master of Malts advent calendar
8 Wilko Tenon Saw with Soft Grip Handle 250mm
Total £164,043
Recipes and food shopping
One of Jack's most consistent claims is that she spends only around £20 a week on food shopping, and it's possible to feed a family for a similarly low sum of money. See "Bad politics" below regarding the hypocrisy of her criticising the Tories for similar comments.
She first came to public attention with the angle that she could make nutritious, filling meals for just £10 a week. (It's since increased to £20 with inflation.) In 2013, the Guardian published what Jack said was a typical week's menu for her and her son, with a £10 food shop that provided three meals a day for two people. Most of the meals shown wouldn't be nutritionally adequate for an adult and maybe not even a young child. For example, given the ingredients, the mushroom soup would come to around 100 calories or less for the whole thing much less a serving for just one person. It's surprising none of this seems to have been checked before it went to print.
Here's an example of a more recent grocery shop, which Jack says cost £18. Notice the tricksy wording - she talks about having an active household and how many meals they eat, but doesn't specifically say this shop covers all those meals. 42 meals a week amounts to two meals a day per person, so either that's all they eat in a day (including Jack's son), or they each buy one meal a day from a shop/cafe etc. which is not exactly living frugally. Evidently, these groceries wouldn't provide balanced meals for a week. See here for an estimate of the calorie count - it wouldn't provide even half the recommended intake for three people. Several people pointed out on Twitter that this also doesn't include other things you would normally include in a household grocery shop such as pet food and cleaning products.
.
Jack has often been challenged over her recipes. The "Slopalong" (where the canal tried out her recipes for ourselves) showed that they rarely turned out the way she said they would - see Slopalong wiki thread. Here are some common issues:
Instructions often don't work and the food turns out undercooked or overcooked, even when the recipe is followed exactly.
Inaccurate costing. Jack estimates costs based on how much of an ingredient it uses e.g. half an onion or a pinch of herbs. But you can't buy just that, and would need to buy a whole onion or a box of herbs. Jack says this should be negligible because you would use the rest to make other meals - but for a recipe she claimed costs 24p per portion, it certainly adds up.
Many recipes come with a low calorie count that may not be enough for an adult.
Very small portion sizes. Jack says that all her recipes allow for "generous" portions - but they don't, or at least not for as many people as the recipe supposedly serves. It's very telling that when Jack posts a recipe she often says she ate the whole thing that was supposed to "generously" serve several people!
She rarely uses spices or seasoning (or very little of them), resulting in very bland food.
On several occasions, Jack has shared photos of food that she claims she cooked, but was evidently shop-bought. There is an obvious difference in quality between the recipes she shares online or publishes in her books, and the food she shows off as being served at her home or at family events. During the Slopalong, we began to suspect that even some of her published recipes may not be something she has actually made herself, and are in fact accompanied by a picture of shop-bought food. Here are some examples.
This fish pie appears to be a Young's ready meal, the Red Leicester and piped mash are a dead giveaway:
Parmentier potatoes fresh from Waitrose (note the sprig of rosemary it comes with.) Jack is known to order food from Ocado which was partnered with Waitrose at the time.
This Greek/Cypriot mezze selection contains a number of different dishes and ingredients, and would take hours to make - you would expect to see it at a family gathering, not as a meal for one person. Falafels don't normally turn out as uniform and even as this when they are homemade. Exact shop not identified. Co-Op summer picnic range (3 for 2), M&S, and Waitrose could all be culprits.
Orange peel sugar cookies posted in May that look like Waitrose amaretti versus orange peel sugar cookies posted in July that are clearly home made.
Jack shared these which were evidently Walkers shortbread although she tried to give the impression she had made them herself. She later admitted they were shop bought. Icing does appear to be by Jack although even that is questionable.
Yorkshire puddings that appear to be Aunt Bessie's and bear no resemblance to Jack's usual yorkie offerings.
Jack posted about making a vegan cream of mushroom soup, saying it contained coconut milk, and she was also making a carrot soup and beetroot soup. At the time, Ocado was selling a range of expensive soups which included cream of mushroom, carrot and coconut milk, and beetroot.
Carrot, Cumin & Kidney Bean Soup - made by @overdueanadventure for the Slopalong (frau's version on the left, Jack's on the right.) Because they turned out so different in colour and texture, we suspect Jack may have been passing off shop-bought soup as her own.
NYE 2022 100 sausage, black pudding, onion, sage stuffing, and cranberry sausage rolls
Supposed mini coronation quiches. Store not identified, however the perfectly uniform and flat-topped quiches indicate they are not homemade. May be purchased from a cafe/deli or may be Morrisons mini quiches topped with spinach and extra cheese.
Jack shared a recipe on her blog for homemade crumpets and this later appeared in her book Vegan-Ish. Compare the crumpets that appeared in her blog and in the book (left), which are perfect and look store bought; with a clearly homemade version where she had to use a chopstick to make holes in the crumpets (right.) For further comparison, see homemade crumpets by professional food writer Felicity Cloake here - they look delicious but not like they came from a shop.
Not shop-bought but still fake: In 2014 Jack had a regular Guardian column and shared a recipe for a supposedly budget take on pasta puttanesca. The recipe said to use capers, but in the picture accompanying the article, she'd used chopped green beans or spring onions in place of the capers. If she substituted them, why not just put that in the recipe, rather than include a photo of something obviously different?
Jack published recipes on two different websites for two different fish stews, yet used the same picture for both. They wouldn't have looked the same when prepared as they had different ingredients, and one used canned food while the other used fresh. Why was the photo recycled? Had she actually tried making both? Was one of them so inedible it couldn't be photographed?
She took part in a "challenge" via the Guardian to make a healthier version of a supermarket lasagne, for the same price. Jack criticised the supermarket lasagne for being mostly water, yet her version had a very high water content since it used watered-down tomato puree to make a "ragu" and skimmed milk powder made up with a pint of water.
On one occasion Jack shared a photo of her making a recipe with what were supposedly ingredients from her £20 a week food shop, from Asda Smart Price (the cheapest value range.) From the pattern on the tin of sardines, it was apparent they were Tesco Finest and cost more than double the budget Asda sardines. Obviously, Jack can cook with what she likes, but she should be honest about it.
Bad politics
Unsurprisingly for the self professed bootstrapper and daughter of a multi-property landlord, Jack often undermines her anti-Tory, champion of the working class stance. We aren't criticising anyone's political leanings; just her blatant hypocrisy.
Jack has alternately said that she is either a Labour, Lib Dem, or Greens voter; or that she spoils her ballot; or that she tactically votes to keep the Tories out. When she briefly ran as an independent candidate for MP for Southend West in 2017, she was criticised because she risked splitting the left-wing vote in a key seat; the Green Party had already agreed not to run in order to give Labour a chance. You would expect her to be conscious of something like this before she ran for office.
Anna Soubry, former Tory MP who, when in office, consistently voted for "austerity" measures with harsh effects on the poor (cutting benefits and public services, raising taxes, etc.)
Janey Godley, comedian who often uses racist "jokes" and slurs, both in her act and on social media.
Sarah Vine, Tory "Westminster WAG" who publicly stigmatises the poor and calls for benefits to be cut. She even published a hit piece on Jack, but Jack doesn't care as she says she "doesn't hold resentments." Sure, Jack. Sure.
Jack appears to have commented (under her birth name) on a Lib Dem website, asking “but what about the Christians?” in response to a post about Tim Farron MP sending good wishes to Muslim constituents. She may have used her birth name because that's how a lot of local people still know her; and/or she didn't want her comments to be associated with Jack Monroe's public image.
Jack has written several times for the Daily Express, a right-wing, very pro-Tory tabloid which supports austerity and is extremely critical of immigration and LGBT people, i.e. the polar opposite of her professed values. And she bought three copies of an issue that had her face on the front cover. On one occasion she and her dad had a very performative conversation on the Facebook page of Del Monte (which was sponsoring her) about how they would never buy the Daily Mail. At the exact same time, she was promoting her latest feature in the Express, which is very similar to the Mail in content and political stance.
Jack used the murder of Jo Cox MP for attention by having her son pose with her for photos laying flowers at the scene; and making an over-the-top Instagram post. When someone who actually knew Jo got upset about the post, Jack gave a patronising and self-righteous response. She thought this behaviour was appropriate even though she didn't know Jo, and wasn't even a member/supporter of the Labour Party at the time (she says she only came back after Jo was killed.) In 2021, Jack's local MP David Amess was also murdered. She was one of his constituents and had personally met him - but funnily enough, she managed to not use his tragic murder to draw attention to herself. So why was it OK for her to milk Jo's death for publicity?
Here's an example of Jack making a nasty, stigmatising "joke" about sexually transmitted infections. She posted this from her public account that she uses for work; yet complained that she lost out on opportunities because TV execs found her "too coarse and common." Maybe it wasn't her accent or supposed working-class background that they had an issue with?
Comments on poverty
Jack portrays an alarmist and often misleading image of poverty. In the words of journalist Katie Roche:
"Why frighten people needlessly into thinking their life will be ruined if they fall on hard times? What effect would that have on your mental health, thinking this will be your life soon, unable to afford to even have your fridge turned on and having to sell your child’s toys? Of course, for most people on Universal Credit, that’s not what it’s like (...) very few live in the type of poverty Monroe describes experiencing. Furthermore, Monroe gives the appearance that poverty never ends. (...) In reality, many have recovered from financial hardship. Even where debts are involved."
In a speech she gave at the House of Commons in 2013, Jack made appalling and judgemental generalisations about the working class, stating "I had a £27 grand (£27,000) a year job. I've not been brought up on benefits and a tracksuit watching Jeremy Kyle. I'm a middle class, well educated young woman who fell a bit by the way side. You think it doesn't happen to normal people, and you think we are all scumbags, eating burgers and watching day time TV. It can happen to anyone." The same quote appeared in an interview with the Guardian. Jack later claimed that the journalist essentially told her to say this to fit a narrative, and she naively went along with it. But the words were being quoted from her own earlier speech - made at a time when Jack herself had worked as a journalist. Speech (quote at 4:30). Article.
Similar examples of Jack emphasising a distinction between "middle-class" poor people vs "Jeremy Kyle" include a 2018 speech she gave to the Baptist Union of Great Britain: "(poverty is) not always what you think of from TV shows like Benefits Street or Jeremy Kyle. Nice, middle-class people can find themselves homeless through a small series of unfortunate circumstances."
Jack claimed she constantly gets hate mail saying she's "too pretty to be poor." It seems unlikely she'd be getting "hate mail" full of backhanded compliments! What does she think a poor person looks like?
In a 2013 blog post, she implied that claiming benefits is lazy or an easy way out: "I could stay off work, claim my Housing Benefit, Child Support, Child Tax Credit, Income Support and Council Tax Benefit but I’m not going to. My small boy, aged only two, knows ‘Mummy work’ and knows he goes to ‘Sammys house’ because ‘Mummy work.’ Mummy work. Mummy will work, son. Mummy will set you a good example and Mummy will bring home the bacon ..." Many people don't have a choice about living on benefits, especially if they face barriers to employment or cannot get childcare. Jack should understand this, as she's repeatedly said she was forced to leave her Fire Service job due to lack of childcare.
Jack talks about her "immigrant grandfather" as if being an immigrant equates to poverty (example here.) She spoke about buying food from a Polish shop as if this were something you would only do when desperate. This promotes the myth that immigrants are poor, needy, and a drain on the economy. See wiki page 1: her grandfather passed away at 75 years of age, and he owned property valued at almost £2 million. He wasn't a poor immigrant who had an "early demise."
Jack has consistently said that she lives on a food budget of £20 a week for herself and her son and partner. (When she first became well known, it was £10 a week.) She plays into the narrative that if people are not getting by, it's because they don't budget properly or cook for themselves. Also saying that poor people would have more money if they switched to the very cheapest food - as if they're not doing that already. This is another classic right-wing line: "everyone could afford nice things if they cut out LUXURIES." At the same time, she complained that the government was using her as "proof" that you can feed a family on next to nothing. Jack has argued with and threatened to sue Lee Anderson MP, who controversially claims that no one really needs to use a food bank. But, as he's pointed out, some of her comments are very similar to his; yet she is praised while he is lambasted in the press.
Another problem with this is that a lot of her "anti-poverty campaigning" is based around the idea of pushing for supermarkets to keep prices as low as possible and keep stocking budget ranges. But cheap food has a huge negative impact on the environment, workers, and animals. Jack has not acknowledged any of these issues apart from a phase where she was briefly vegan and talked about animal rights (she's since reverted to eating lots of cheap meat and dairy.) Complaining that a 48p bag of pasta is now 75p does basically nothing to help people living in poverty.
In her widely circulated essay "You Don't Batch Cook When You're Suicidal", Jack tried to score cheap political points by making a very offensive analogy comparing poverty to sexual assault. She attempted to justify this by saying(warning: link discusses child sexual abuse) that she had experienced sexual assault and the comparison wasn't meant for shock value. Apparently, all that matters is that Jack is happy with it, not how her audience might be affected. The post did not contain any warning or mention of subject matter.
On December 18, 2023, Jack was invited on Times Radio to discuss the subject of obesity. She happily accepted despite having previously called the Times a "right-wing conservative-supported capitalist hellrag." On the show, she publicly named an "infamous" local council estate and stigmatised its residents, implying they only buy "ready meals, beer, and nappies" because that's all that is available in their local Tesco Express. Most local people on or around the estate do their regular shopping at the nearby Lidl, which does sell fresh food. Jack either deliberately misrepresented this, or made judgements based on stereotypes. Remind us how she's "proudly working class!" again?
Other issues
Animal welfare
As well as her disabled kitten (see wiki page 1), Jack has had a number of other animals that died, were neglected, and/or "mysteriously" went missing. These include Dash the bunny, which she claims was stolen during a burglary. Surely his disappearance was nothing to do with being kept in a damp and crowded shed, in a garden that had foxes in it. She also had two guinea pigs that were shut in a cupboard and quickly died. Jack said they were killed in a carbon monoxide leak, but a Tattler who claimed to be an old acquaintance (and seems to be legit) said the guinea pigs died from the cold. Squigs have expressed concern over Jack's current dog Laurie, a long-haired breed with a visibly matted coat. Jack says Laurie is just shaggy, despite vets commenting on her posts to say otherwise.
Child welfare
Jack has often written about her son having an unstable home life due to poverty. This includes frequent house moves, often staying in unsuitable accommodation (cold, damp, mouldy, etc.), and being unable to afford utilities or enough food and clothes for him. She has also said that he was affected by her alcoholism and mental health problems, and was used to seeing her have depressive episodes or pass out from drinking. On top of this, she says she has had multiple stalkers, and frequently receives death threats.
None of these things makes Jack a bad parent, but they all present a risk to SB's welfare. If what she's saying is true, you would expect her to be known to social services. SB is at increased risk because she shares a huge amount of personal information online, enough that strangers were able to find her house. She also shares a lot of sensitive information about him including his mental health, puberty, and other medical concerns.
Jack no longer shares photos of her son but did share a lot of pictures when he was younger. In 2015, she announced in a magazine article (published on 16 February) that she had "embargoed press pictures" of him now that he had started school, and that SB's father did not want photos of him published in the press. But only a day before, she and Allegra had appeared in a published Guardian feature (15 February 2015) in which SB had his face clearly shown while Allegra's daughter was covered up. He also appeared in Jack's 2019 "open letter" thanking his father - the same father who had asked to keep him out of the press!
She has repeatedly made mean-spirited "jokes" about SB being a financial inconvenience (such as here, here, and here) and has made spiteful comments about him during media appearances. E.g. in an interview with BBC Good Food she said that having a baby had turned her into a "bedraggled (...) single mother" and suggested it was his fault she could not get work after leaving the Fire Service.
She has moved SB between many different homes and schools due to her changing relationships or getting into financial trouble. Jack admitted this caused disruption to his life. In 2012-16, between the ages of four and six, he moved house nine times including moving in with his father and then back to Jack. He also went to three different schools in the space of two years, and had two different stepmothers (to whom Jack was engaged and lived with) in just one year. Jack claims that her frequent house moves were because of poverty and eviction. In fact, only one move was related to the threat of eviction and one because of her losing benefits - all the rest were because she chose to move in quickly with new partners and then had to leave after they broke up. See wiki page 7 for links and more information.
Treatment of Louisa
During her relationship with Louisa Compton, Jack came across as controlling and dismissive. She spoke as if Louisa were a naughty child, often patronising or criticising her. Jack engaged in behaviour that would have made Louisa look unprofessional, such as jumping in on Louisa's social media post to start a fight in the comments. It was also mentioned that on multiple occasions, Louisa had to leave work or social events because Jack was drinking or had "done a chaos." Shortly before they broke up, Jack started appearing on DKL and was clearly unprepared with a poor wifi connection, which she tried to blame on Louisa - who probably got her the job in the first place. Just a day or two before Jack announced that Louisa "left", she had been making fun of Louisa for not wanting to camp out in the garden. Are we surprised that Louisa couldn't take any more?
When the relationship ended, Jack claimed that Louisa had left her to pay off the lease on their house, and that she could not get out of the contract and was struggling to afford the payments. Again very publicly making Louisa look bad to others. In 2021 Louisa temporarily moved back in with Jack as a "bubble buddy" and Jack continued to complain about her on social media. At one point claiming she had "forgotten" Louisa would be on a Zoom call, and walked in naked. This is probably made up, but seeing Jack share that story must have been extremely embarrassing for Louisa.
Attitude to fostering
Jack's parents were foster carers for over 20 years. They are known for this in the local community, and her dad has an MBE for his services to fostering. Jack has spoken negatively in the press about their foster children, some of whom she called "feral". She also described children who lived with them for a decade or more as just taking up "an extra bit of room at the table" rather than being part of her family. On the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast she referred to her parents' foster children as "difficult" and "a revolving door of troubled children" - a phrase she has repeatedly used elsewhere as well. She made ignorant comments in a newspaper interview, saying she had not wanted to put her son in daycare because she feared he would grow up traumatised like the foster children. Again, this is the same woman who had no problem moving him around multiple homes, schools, towns, and stepfamilies in a short space of time.
Jack has indicated that she resents the amount of attention her parents gave their foster children when she was growing up. Her mother has also said that the family often took in children with complex medical needs. While this must have been difficult for Jack, she could nevertheless be more sympathetic in how she talks about their foster children publicly.
Using tragedies for attention
Jack demonstrates a pattern of using tragedies to draw attention to herself - even those that have nothing to do with her. As well as the infamous Grenfell blog, other examples include inserting herself into Jo Cox's murder and the Pulse nightclub shooting, and trying to prove a point by name-dropping people who died after having their benefits cut. She tries to "win" arguments with squigs by casually referencing tragic events like pregnancy loss or a friend's suicide(WARNING for subject matter.)
Mental health and threats of suicide
Jack often talks about being suicidal, attempting suicide, or trolls supposedly suicide-baiting her. Expect her to do this whenever she is being challenged or criticised, or just wants to boost her engagement. She talks about suicide in very graphic, disturbing language, and does not warn for content. More detailed discussion in this post of her frequent suicide threats (warning: post contains very sensitive content relating to mental health.)
She says that she has repeatedly had malicious false reports made to the police or to "CPS" regarding her and her son's welfare. By CPS, she means social services (called Child Protective Services in the USA) - we suspect she does not want to directly mention social services. Authorities normally require detailed information before they can act on safeguarding concerns, and they look out for signs of false reports being used as a form of harassment. If anyone did report Jack, it's probably someone who knows her offline. She herself admits that three previous partners urged her to get help for her substance abuse and/or mental health.
Jack often blames her poor behaviour on autism and ADHD. This presents a negative, stigmatising image of disability. She claims that she has a lot of support for her neurodivergence and mental health, but it hasn't helped in any way. E.g., takes a lot of ADHD medication but it does nothing; has had a decade of therapy but she's still desperate and suicidal every day; Sober for years but still needs to attend a 12-step meeting every day of the week. This is potentially very harmful, as people with mental health problems may read her content and feel like their own situation is hopeless.
Fake Twitter accounts
Jack uses a lot of alternate ("sockpuppet") accounts to defend herself or argue with others when her main account is quiet/deactivated. She once admitted that she'd had nine alternate accounts on the go so she could argue her political views without being identified as Jack Monroe. She has had some of these accounts for a long time, e.g. she had at least one in 2014 to discuss the EU referendum.
Jack can have as many Twitter accounts as she wants, but it's disingenuous to lie about it and try to use them to manipulate the narrative. In one instance Tattle identified one of Jack's many accounts (which her own family and girlfriend followed) where she was showing off regular, expensive food deliveries, while claiming on her main account that she lived on a strict budget of £20 a week for food.