Why Jamie Oliver scoots to school
Superstar British chef Jamie Oliver has finally managed to juggle his work and life, but the father-of-five admits it wasn’t easy.
Oliver, along with his highschool sweetheart-turned-wife Jools, recently added baby River to their brood of three daughters (Poppy 14, Daisy, 13, Petal, 7) and a son (Buddy, 6). The Naked Chef has had to find a way to care for the kids amongst a hectic work schedule that’s now spanned 15 years – managing multiple restaurants, producing more than 20 cookbooks, sharing his kitchen skills on screen and various passion projects.
‘‘Getting a work/life balance is essential, it’s really hard,’’ Oliver told the Sunday StarTimes. ‘‘I think I’ve done a pretty good job of it over the past five or six years. Before then I was struggling a little bit. I have an unusual job.’’
And Oliver feels the pain of working parents.
‘‘Most parents are working bloody hard and long hours and most parents feel guilt about not getting enough time in with the kids,’’ he says.
Oliver isn’t shy about letting the public into his personal life, posting pictures of family and friends on social media and sharing the kitchen with his kids while filming. However, he does try to maintain some intimacy.
‘‘For me, it’s the weekend, dropping the kids off to school at certain points. There’s alway 1001 things to go to at school, we try and maintain that pretty good. Nine-and-a-half times out of 10, I manage to get them all, and in that way you feel good about it.’’
Oliver acknowledges the challenge that many Kiwi families face trying to feed a large family on a budget and on the back of a busy working day.
‘‘People want a lot of stuff these days ... they want it to be cheap, they want it to be delicious, they want it to be quick. You can have those things, but you have to have knowledge and you have to fill yourself up on knowledge.
‘‘With that in mind ... should it be a child’s human right or should it be a national priority that every single child, in New Zealand as well, learns to grow and cook in school? We would love for parents to be getting amongst it, but lots of parents are working now. Life’s changed.’’
Most parents are working bloody hard and feel guilt about not getting enough time in with the kids. Jamie Oliver