Jamie Oliver lives in a beautiful Essex home with his wife Jools and their five children, but he confessed there are "scars" behind closed doors.
During a Q&A with YesChef to promote his first-ever class on the online cooking platform, the Naked Chef star discussed what he loves to cook in the summertime. Although he admitted that he likes to make the most of his vegetable garden, which is "going crazy", he concluded that cooking any grilled or roasted meats over a fire outside is his ultimate favourite.
Instead of using a garden utensil such as a firepit, Jamie admitted he likes to take things back to basics and dig holes that turn his garden into a "patchwork quilt."
"I literally love to dig holes in the garden and build a fire, cinder it down and cook anything over it. Even big pots, I love the way the smoke goes over the pots, it makes even a ragu delicious outside," said the Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals author.
"If you look round my garden, it's full of little scars of where I've lit fires, filled it in and then the grass has grown again. It's like a little patchwork quilt of fires. Because I basically light the fires wherever the sun is going to set. I'm a bit weird!" Jamie laughed.
His followers were delighted with his unexpected answer, with one writing: "This is BRILLIANT!! Love the idea of cooking in holes in the lawn," and a second adding: "You’re not weird Jamie you just painting pictures with every thought. Top man."
Jamie and Jools moved into the £6 million property called Spains Hall in 2019 along with their children Daisy, Poppy, Buddy, Petal and River. The family of five now live full-time at their countryside mansion, which boasts ten bathrooms, two drawing rooms and a great hall.
If that wasn't enough space for them, they also have another six-bedroom 16th-century farmhouse, a three-bedroom lodge and converted stables on the grounds.
The couple previously owned another home in London, which they recently sold for a £6 million profit. The Sun reported that the eight-bedroom home was sold for £15 million in June 2022, after Jamie bought it for £8.95 million in 2015.
While Jamie and Jools kept their second home more private, it seems as though the new owners want to change much of the property. Documentation submitted to the council explained they had big renovation plans, which may not be able to go ahead due to the home's historical nature.
There's no denying the doting father's love of food has filtered down to his children, with Buddy posting several cooking tutorials during and after the coronavirus lockdown. However, Jamie previously admitted that he prefers to keep a clear distinction between his career and his family.
"I tend to keep work and home very, very separate," he told The Mail. "Which has pros and cons, of course. But mainly pros, I’d say… really it’s much nicer to talk about sports day or what the kids are up to and stuff like that. So I think for us it works. I would call us a normal family."
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