Have A Jolly Olli Christmas

From filling the table with great grub to grabbing some time to kick back and relax, an Essex Christmas is all about fun, food and family for kitchen icon Jamie Oliver

- Ian Faulconbridge

THERE ARE few who carry off an idyllic family Christmas scene like Jamie Oliver – family sat around the fireplace, a light dusting of snow resting on the window pane and a soundtrack boasting festive favourites from Bing Crosby to Wizzard. But the centrepiece of all this is a sumptuous festive feast served up with all the bold generosity you would expect of the host.

‘It looks idyllic when you see the final edit on the telly,’ begins Essex’s most famous food export, whose everyman idiosyncrasies have made him a national treasure akin to spotted dick and Yorkshire puddings. ‘But I can guarantee it’s as chaotic as anyone else’s home on Christmas Day,’ Jamie says with a laugh. ‘That is the real Christmas dinner I’m referring to – you have to consider we film the Christmas specials usually months before, so you do feel something of a fraud when it’s still autumn outside!’

Whatever the mechanics of how Jamie’s family Christmas comes to fruition, there is present a level of passion and vigour that we all aspire to. And that should be expected; after all, since landing in the national consciousness as TV’s Naked Chef from Clavering’s bulging underbelly, this ever enthused food pioneer has given the world of celebrity cuisine a much-needed reheat. Decades after he first landed – via a fly-on the-wall documentary at Hammersmith’s River Café – Jamie is now one of the UK’s most successful foodies, with a net worth that comfortably outstrips many of his peers.