THE CHEF
Here at Sweet Spoon we love everything to do with baking, so we were delighted to have the chance to sit down with someone who manages to dominate several areas of the food industry. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Mr. Jamie Oliver Words Michael Barry
PHOTOS BY DAVID LOFTUS, COURTESY OF PETER BERRY
S
ince bursting onto our screens in The Naked Chef back in (can you believe it) 1997, Jamie Oliver has already done more than enough to cement his current position as national treasure-in-waiting. When not presenting hit television shows like Ministry of Food, whose tie-in books similarly proved to be a godsend for the domestic publishing industry, Oliver has launched several public health crusades, as well as a culinary training program for the disadvantaged. After spending some time talking with him, it becomes clear that food was always going to be a key part of his life, even if he wasn’t initially aware of the success that this interest would ultimately entail. Some of his earliest memories are of food, and culinary adventures seemed to be a key part of his experience growing up. “My first cooking memories are full of erratic British summers: Dad swearing at a barbecue that he couldn’t put together, and eventually eating charred sausages, feeling brilliant. It always felt like an event, and even with my naive palate I knew that pretty much everything tasted better from fire – I just didn’t know why.”
54 • SWEETSPOONMAGAZINE.CO.UK