CONSERVATIVE peer Baroness Jenkin has apologised for comments made during the launch of a report into stamping out hunger.

Baroness Jenkin, who is part of the all party parliamentary inquiry into hunger in the UK, said one problem was cooking skills had been lost.

She said: “Poor people don’t know how to cook.

“I had a large bowl of porridge today which cost 4p. A large bowl of sugary cereals will cost you 25p.”

However, speaking to the Gazette, Baroness Jenkin, said: “If I have caused offence to anyone, I deeply regret that.

“What I was trying to say is there are five million people in this country who are struggling to make ends meet.

“If you are living on a tight budget, it is cheaper to cook from scratch. But society as a whole, has lost a lot of its cooking skills. In addition, if you don’t have the facilities to cook, it is difficult.”

Baroness Jenkin, who is married to Harwich and North Essex MP Bernard Jenkin, has raised about £100,000 for charity by taking part in the Living Below the Line challenge, which saw her eat for no more than £1 a day for five days. Her comments at the launch of the Feeding Britain report were described as “unhelpful” by the Rev Andrew Fordyce of Colchester Food Bank.

He said: “Quotes from politicians like this are not helpful.

“To borrow a quote from Martin Luther King, you can ask someone to lift themselves by their boot laces, but how can they do that when they aren’t wearing boots? That is what food banks are dealing with dayto- day.

“People who are coming to food banks are not hopping and skipping for a freebie. In fact, they can be quite embarrassed, but they are doing something about their situation.”

Mr Fordyce said the Colchester Food Bank gives out recipe books to users so they can cook better family meals.

He added the need for the food banks is growing. Volunteers gave out 53 tonnes of food in five years, until this year, when they have already given out 53 tonnes.

Mr Fordyce also backed the Hunger in the UK report’s recommendation to relax benefit sanctions, which account for two-thirds of the reasons people are attending the food bank in Colchester.