Jamie Oliver: 20 things you may not know about the celebrity chef

In May 2022, world-famous chef Jamie Oliver went to the British Prime Minister's office with an Eton Mess, a term that both describes a local dessert and the health policy of the government that he considers to be 'a mess.'  Oliver claims that Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not sufficiently tackle the obesity problem in Britain.

Oliver, known around the world for his cooking program 'The Naked Chef,' has been criticized for being a rich guy who is out of touch with the average person's reality.

How much do you know about Britain's cooking superstar? Click on to learn some surprising facts about Jamie Oliver!

Jamie Oliver grew up around food. Jamie's parents, Trevor and Sally Oliver, ran a pub in Essex called 'The Cricketers.' As a result, Jamie and his sister Anne-Marie spent a lot of time hanging out in the pub's kitchen. This piqued Jamie's interest in cooking and gave him a unique chance to practice his skills from a young age.
Pictured: Jamie as a child with his family.

(Photo: Instagram@jamieoliver)

Friends and family say that Jamie was a mischievous child and loved to play practical jokes. According to an interview Oliver did with 'The Guardian,' there is one joke that nobody has forgotten: the time he let off a stinkbomb in his parents' pub! The smell was so horrible all the customers left the pub running.

Jamie never enjoyed school growing up; he really struggled and ended up being diagnosed with dyslexia. According to 'BBC News,' in 2012, at the age of 38, Oliver finally read his first novel all the way through. His book of choice? 'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins.

(Photo: Instagram@jamieoliver)

Jamie attended Westminster Technical College, now known as the Westminster Kingsway College, where he studied home economics. He earned a City & Guilds National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at the school.

(Photo: Instagram@jamieoliver)

In an interview in 'Flow Magazine,' Jamie spoke of how he and his wife Juliette met when they were just 17 years old! The couple has been together ever since. Jamie's nickname for his wife is Jooles.

Jamie and Jools are parents to five kids! Their children have some very unique names: Poppy Honey Rosie, Daisy Boo Pamela, Petal Blossom Rainbow, Buddy Bear Maurice, and River Rocket.

Even though Jamie has never appeared on television without clothing (despite his cooking show 'The Naked Chef'), he sometimes cooks naked! However, Jamie will only cook naked for his wife. In an interview with Graham Norton on the 'Graham Norton Show,' the chef mentioned that he accidentally burnt his private parts cooking a romantic meal for his wife.

(Photo: Instagram@jamieoliver)

Jamie Oliver's first job was as a pastry chef at Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street Restaurant. Jamie admired Gennaro Contaldo, who taught him the ropes of Italian cuisine. Later in life, Jamie returned the favor to Contaldo and hired him to run the 'Jamie's Italian' chain restaurants.

In June of 2000, Jamie Oliver became the face of the supermarket chain Sainsbury's. According to the 'Mirror,' Oliver made around £1.5 million or $2 million a year to promote the supermarkets. Not too bad at all, especially since the arrangement lasted until 2011.

Oliver started the 'Feed Me Better' campaign in 2005 to help children better understand the importance of eating healthy food. The aim was also to improve those nasty school lunches, so Jamie worked with schools and politicians to help make a change.

Jamie Oliver is the author of a whopping 29 books! Jamie says that his goal with his books is to make cooking more accessible to all.

Jamie Oliver never planned to become a famous television personality, but nearly everyone knows his name after being on the telly for 23 years. Over the years, Jamie has appeared on a total of 39 tv series, documentaries, and specials.

Jamie was the second British chef to appear on 'Iron Chef America' He took on 'Iron Chef America' in 2008 as a challenger. Unfortunately, the ingredient theme was cobia, which is not a specialty of Jamie's. It caused the Brit to lose the challenge against opponent Mario Batali.

Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver may be two of the most well-known UK chefs internationally, but apparently the two can't stand each other. Hello magazine has reported about the way Jamie criticized Gordon's foul mouth way of speaking, and Gordon wasn't happy to hear Jamie's opinion on how he chooses to speak.

An unusual pastime of Oliver's is collecting driftwood. According to the chef, driftwood makes one of the best chopping boards. Jamie also enjoys playing the drums in his spare time and even played in a band in high school called 'Scarlet Division.'

Jamie Oliver loves the Royals. Even though he comes from a humble background, Oliver can't stand to hear people talking bad about the Royal Family. According to 'Coventry Telegraph,' Oliver even offered to cater Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding for free. Much to Jamie's disappointment, the couple declined his offer.

Jamie has his own unique hangover cure, which isn't your typical fatty breakfast. In 'Red Magazine Online,' the chef said he swears by a teaspoon of ground cumin taken like a shot. He claims it will cure even the most vengeful of hangovers.

Famous chefs often are asked to cook unusual items or are given unusual work proposals. However, over the years, one television producer topped them all. According to 'Mashed.com' a television producer asked Jamie Oliver if he would be willing to cook HUMAN FLESH! Of course, Jamie's answer was a solid NO.