Comments on: James Barber in Pictures

By: Paul Williams

Paul Williams — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 20:13:38 +0000

I really miss watching James on the CBC out of windsor, On.
I was living in Grand Blanc, Michigan and would come home from work at GM and sit there in front of the tube every day watching James do his thing,
I and the wife went to Duncan, BC in 2005 and again in 2007. Wished I had stopped to see james and his wife but thought we would be bothering him, wish I had now.
Now I live in Cheboygan, Mi. I was born in Cardiff Wales and have great memories of James, Hope Mrs. Barber is doing good.

By: Aristocracy » Blog Archive » barber pictures

Aristocracy » Blog Archive » barber pictures — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 09:18:38 +0000

[...] James Barber in Pictures | James Barber The Urban Peasant James Barber, The Urban Peasant. I adore James Barber's cooking shows and became a loyal fan of his series. … [...]

By: Sandi Arie

Sandi Arie — Mon, 16 May 2011 22:49:12 +0000

OMG! me too I always watched you faithfuly,on CBC every day.Yes you did make cooking fun.I missed your shows,I didn’t know you passed away, my deepest sympathies to the family.Thats
so sad.Well if they air your shows again I will shurely watch them.Life is so short,I’m crying now
you made me smile.God bless your soul.Sandi Arie an avid fan!

By: janewilk

janewilk — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:03:17 +0000

I am so saddened to learn of James’ passing. My husband and I watched The Urban Peasant all the time in the early years of our marriage, and we credit him with teaching us how to cook. We still have two or three VHS tapes full of his shows that we can’t bear to part with. His approach to cooking was so full of fun and inspiration, and so casual and wonderful. We still say lots of things he said on his show, like “Bung it in the oven” or “Leave it for the cat” (when we spill something on the floor. We don’t have a cat!). We will definitely be buying the DVDs when they come out – in a world of Food Network, we still treasure James’ show and all that he taught us. He is greatly missed!

By: Bill Louchren

Bill Louchren — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 06:06:44 +0000

My wife and I used to watch James back in the 90′s. He had such a great manner about him we loved watching those shows. He once made a potato pizza on an episode and we at home still make that dish at least once a month. So simple and of course simply delicious. When we heard of his passing back in 07′ we were sad. He and his simple life entertained us in a time when we were in the military living in Upper Michigan. It was a time that my wife and I fondly remember and miss. So when we see James today on his videos we are reminded of a special time in our lives. He is dearly missed. Thank you for this wonderful website, it revives great memories.

By: Rodney

Rodney — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 03:19:52 +0000

I started watching James on the Learning Channel/Discovery Channel in the U.S., back in the early 1990′s, when I was in my early 20′s. As many other people have mentioned, I oftened imagined myself being in James’ kitchen/loft while he was cooking…… and I wished I could have joined him for dinner – even if it was just once. In 1995, my wife and I moved from southern California to the Bellingham/Ferndale area of northwest Washington state. I was very happy to be able to watch James on CBC Channel 2 each afternoon. I was working an afternoon/evening shift at work during most of that time, and I would set my VCR to record “The Urban Peasant” show each day. After a hectic day at work, I would always look forward to watching his show after I got home and took a shower. I would usually watch his show late at night, when my wife was already asleep, and things were nice and quiet. I’d contently sit on the couch eating dinner while watching his show – it was very relaxing and theraputic. No matter how unpleasant my day had been, everthing was soon forgotten and the negatives in life didn’t matter after I turned on James’ show. I appreciated the fact that although he had his own t.v. show, James was extremely down-to-earth and personable. Up until the time I started watching the Urban Peasant, I had thought of cooking as somewhat of a chore, but James changed that misconception. James made cooking fun, accessible and easily understandable. Being young and on a tighter budget at the time, it was nice see meals that were easy to prepare and made with ingredients that were readily available and affordable. I thought of James as a grandfather figure………. as I never had a chance to meet my real grandfathers – they both passed away when I was very young. I wasn’t surprised to find that I’m not alone in those feelings from what I’ve read on numerous blogs and message boards. I know that a lot of us considered James to be a member of our “extended family.” James will continue to live on in our hearts, minds and kitchens……. and I hope to see him in heaven one day so I can thank him personally for the positive impact that he played, and continues to play in my life. I’m extremely happy to hear that James’ show will be comming out on DVD this Christmas as I have really missed his show since I haven’t been able to watch it on tv for quite some time. I have some old, somewhat grainy, VCR recordings of his show……………. it will be very nice to see the show in broadcast quality clarity once again!

By: nic

nic — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:40:32 +0000

OMG..I cant believe he’s gone..I used to watch the Urban Peasent when we lived in Port Coquitlam,BC and In Calgary..oh I loved his style and his recipes. I am really sad!! I am crying my eyes out right now…god bless you James..I am in complete shock!! You used to cheer me up when I was feeling homesick..for England with your charm..I loved your recipes and I loved you Italian toothpaste!! LOVE & MISS YOU

By: Penny Maday

Penny Maday — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:50:31 +0000

I loved James Barber & The Urban Peasant TV show – I loved his wit, sense of humor & love of cooking. I loved how he encouraged everyone to cook & called it “dead easy”! When my oldest son Ben was a baby & toddler – he would climb up on my knee when he heard the intro music to the show & would sit glued to the screen for the full 30 minutes! Ben is now 19 & has moved into his first apartment.
I have given him a copy of James Barber’s Cook book as an appropriate House Warming gift. It brought back so many wonderful memories!
God Bless James Barber, I wish I had met him – just once!

Penny Maday

By: Roy Christopher

Roy Christopher — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:38:53 +0000

Mine is simple, he got me started cooking
so he will be long remembered

By: Sean Marechal

Sean Marechal — Sun, 23 May 2010 01:16:56 +0000

As a kid I always loved spending my 5 o clocks watching James Barber. Even though I am not much of a chef, watching him always put a smile to my face. His warm honest personality with a hint of good humor to him always made me walk away feeling happy, even if it wasn’t a good day. The little jingle of his show and the closing shots of it zooming out from the apartment building always stayed in my mind as a form of nostalgia. I just heard what happened to him and had no idea he passed away. I really wanted to meet him one day, and he didn’t live all that far from me either…
Thank you James for the great memories and thank you to his family for spreading the word of his good cheer and talents worldwide.