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MY FESTIVE FAMILY DAY

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‘Whenever we PUT THE TREE UP there is an hour and a half of COMPLETE CARNAGE, tears and BROKEN BAUBLES’

At Jamie Oliver’s house, the Christmas Day fun starts relentless­ly early. But it’s not just because it’s the superstar chef’s favourite time of the year – his

youngest children, Buddy Bear, eight, and River Rocket, two, wake up at 5.30am. By 6am, their siblings Poppy Honey, 16, Daisy Boo, 15, and Petal Blossom, nine, will have joined them in ripping open their presents.

Then, just at the point the rest of us bow to the inevitable and let the kids go feral with the selection boxes, there he is, rustling up the perfect Instagramm­able breakfast. Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for him. Fluffy homemade pancakes for the kids and what Jamie calls, ‘some version of particular­ly healthy birdseed for Jools’. There will be buck’s fizz, too, because it’s what Jamie’s parents drank and, if Christmas is about anything, it’s tradition – albeit with a minor twist. This year Jamie, 43, is bringing an Italian take to the feast. ‘Italian flavours say Christmas because Italians are pretty amazing when it comes to getting together to eat and celebrate.’

The tree goes up in mid-December – Jools, who is arguably even more bonkers about Christmas than her husband, ‘feels sorry’ for the misshapen, asymmetric­al ones that nobody wants. Last year, they ended up taking home what looked like a decapitate­d bush, which Jamie posted online. ‘Whenever we put the tree up there is an hour and a half of complete carnage, tears and broken baubles. Everyone loses their temper but after Jools has cleared up the mess, we gather round and the lights are switched on. It’s the most uplifting sight. Those next ten minutes of wonder are well worth every bit of stress beforehand.’

And that isn’t even when Christmas officially starts in the Oliver household. Oh no. ‘December 1st, the day the first door is opened on the advent calendar, that’s when it all begins,’ he says gravely. ‘The cheesy seasonal music starts playing on a loop, the kids make colourful paper chains and snowflakes out of white doilies and we all go a bit Christmas crazy.’ It’s Disney meets Dickens with a comedy twist of Elf. Another helping of yuletide envy, anyone?

Jamie, irrepressi­ble even after a dawn start, will begin cooking for 30 relatives and friends at 8am. This year, he’s going to be adding chestnuts to his gravy and getting creative with butternut squash. ‘Once you’ve nailed the roast, roast potatoes and gravy, you’re on the home run and everything else is a bonus. You can really reduce your workload just by thinking ahead and doing lots of the preparatio­n.’ Jamie buys a high-welfare turkey – ‘it has greater muscle mass and it cooks 30 per cent quicker. I put half the stuffing inside and the other half in a tin. Then, while the bird is resting, I put the potatoes and veggies in the oven.’

Guests arrive at 11am or so and lunch – a buffet – is served up around 1pm. His mum Sally brings her homemade trifle and his sister Anna-Marie does a vegetable dish. Other relatives also do their bit and dad Trevor helps him carve. Can it really be as unfeasibly easy as Jamie makes it sound? No bickering over what to watch on TV or meltdowns over missing batteries? ‘For me it’s all about being with the people I love, wearing silly paper hats from the crackers and playing charades with the kids and their cousins after lunch.

‘We live in such a busy world that getting everyone together is the real achievemen­t; nobody needs to beat themselves up about brussels sprouts.’

What a relief! If Jamie Oliver says so, it must be true. But if you really want to impress, you can’t go wrong with his fantastic festive recipes, only in YOU. ➤

INTERVIEW JUDITH WOODS PORTRAITS ALUN CALLENDER RECIPES AND FOOD PHOTOGRAPH­S FROM JAMIE COOKS ITALY (SEE PAGE 32), JAMIE OLIVER’S CHRISTMAS COOKBOOK, MATT RUSSELL AND COURTESY OF GENNARO CONTALDO

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