JAMIE IS THE MAINS MAN
He’s the undisputed king of Christmas – he even has a cookbook dedicated to everything festive.
Jamie Oliver is unashamedly in love with the silly season, though he did make headlines last year when he banned his extended family from Christmas Day, saying it was too stressful. Still, with five kids – Poppy (16), Daisy (15), Petal (9), Buddy (8) and River (2) – Jamie and wife Jools have their hands full!
Festivities start on December 1, he says. “The day the first door is opened on the Advent calendar, that’s when it all begins,” he says, somewhat grimly. “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 crazy.”
A new tradition has started in recent years too – Elf on the Shelf, a magical elf sent by Santa to keep an eye on the kids in the lead-up to Christmas – though Jamie (43) is not convinced. “It freaks me out,” he says. “The kids love it, but every day it moves and that just freaks me out a little bit.”
The tree goes up in the middle of December and because Jools (44) feels sorry for the weirdly shaped ones that no one wants, they always end up with a misshapen blob, which the kids try their best to decorate.
The Olivers’ day starts early, with a 5.30am wake-up call courtesy of his youngest children. Presents are opened and Dad cooks breakfast – fluffy pancakes for the kids and
“some version of particularly healthy birdseed” for Jools.
For the Olivers, Christmas lunch is steeped in tradition. Buck’s Fizz is served for the adults because it’s what Jamie’s parents drank every year. He focuses on the most important part of their lunch – roast turkey, spuds and gravy – while his mum brings a trifle and his sister contributes a vegetable side dish. And, as he posted to Instagram last year, there’s even time for a bit of Christmas karaoke with the kids!