jamie at home

Cook Your Way to the Good Life

by Jamie Oliver

See other cookbooks click here

Brand new hardcover book, 407 pages.

After spending most of the last 16 years working in kitchens cooking up a storm, Jamie has discovered a new passion - gardening. He brings both of his passions together in his latest book, Jamie at Home. A true feast for all the senses, this book is arranged in seasons, starting in Spring with asparagus, eggs, lamb and rhubarb, moving through to Summer with barbecues, strawberries, tomatoes and more, Autumn with orchard fruit, pickles and finishing in Winter with pastry, leeks, squash and other winter vegetables. Jamie also shares gardening tips, his favourite seed and plant varieties and useful websites.

Beautiful photos of Jamie's garden, produce and cooking throughout the book, which is dedicated to Steve Irwin, who inspired Jamie and taught us all to appreciate our planet.

In Jamie's own words:

"This book is very close to my heart. It's about no-nonsense, simple cooking with great flavours all year round. When I began writing it, I didn't really know what recipes I would come up with, but something began to inspire me very quickly... my vegetable patch!

I came to realise last year that it's not always about looking out at the wider world for inspiration. Being at home, feeling relaxed and open, can also offer this. I love to spend time at home in the village where I grew up, working with the boss, Mother Nature, in my garden and seeing all my beautiful veggies coming out of the ground.

Inside you'll find over 100 new recipes, plus some basic planting information and tips if you fancy having a go at getting your hands dirty as well!"

About the author:

Jamie Oliver was born in May 1975, and grew up in Clavering, Essex, where his parents owned a pub-restaurant, The Cricketers. From an early age, Oliver helped in the pub kitchen; by the time he was 11, he was adept at vegetable prep and could chop "like a demon". In 1989, Oliver formed the band Scarlet Division with best friend Leigh Haggerwood, and dreamed of pop stardom. He was the drummer of the band. However, by age 16, Oliver knew he wanted to be a chef, so he attended Westminster Catering College and then studied in France, learning as much as he could, before returning to London to work as head pastry chef for Antonio Carluccio at The Neal Street Restaurant. After The Neal Street Restaurant, Oliver worked for Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers at the River Cafe for three and a half years; Oliver credits Gray and Rogers with teaching him to create the fresh and simple food which would become his signature.

The result was "The Naked Chef", a cooking programme. Two highly successful seasons of "The Naked Chef" were filmed in 1998 and 1999. The popular series brought Oliver worldwide fame, and more television programmes and book deals followed. As of 2006, Oliver had six additional television series and eight books to his name. Now in 2007, he has a new TV show called "Jamie at Home," which shows people how easy it is to grow fresh produce from scratch and make good meals. He also has a book out with the same name.

In 2005 Jamie Oliver received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship Prize for his contribution to disadvantaged young people, offering training and practical experience in the catering industry.

Oliver is married to former model Juliette Norton, also known as "Jools". The couple have two daughters: Poppy Honey and Daisy Boo. They live in Hampstead, London.

After a brief appearance on "The Naked Chef", Oliver's band, Scarlet Division, was offered a record deal by Sony. Its debut single "Sundial" reached 42 in the UK charts, but, in spite of having been together for ten years, the band had trouble being taken seriously due to Oliver's fame as a chef, and was dropped by Sony. Soon after, Oliver asked Haggerwood to write the music for his new show, "Oliver's Twist". The series, a massive worldwide success, featured Haggerwood's popular theme song "Just The Start". Wanting to create something positive' using his wealth and fame, Oliver conceived and established the Fifteen charity restaurant where he trains 15 disadvantaged young people to work in the hospitality industry. Following the success of the original restaurant in London, more Fifteens have opened around the globe: Fifteen Amsterdam opened in December, 2004, Fifteen Cornwall in Newquay opened in May, 2006, and Fifteen Melbourne opened in September, 2006, with Australian friend and fellow chef, Tobie Puttock. The process of creating and opening the original Fifteen was documented in the series "Jamie's Kitchen".

Next, Oliver began a formal campaign to ban unhealthy food in British schools and get kids eating fresh, tasty, nutritious food instead. Oliver's efforts to bring radical change to the school meals system, chronicled in the series "Jamie's School Dinners", challenged the junk food culture by showing schools they could serve healthy, cost-efficient meals that kids enjoyed eating.

In June, 2003, Oliver was appointed an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Reputedly a multimillionaire, he has also written columns for The Times. A great proponent of fresh organic foods, in May, 2005, Oliver was named the most influential person in the UK hospitality industry when he topped the inaugural CatererSearch 100. The list saw Oliver beating off Sir Francis Mackay, the then-chairman of the contract catering giant, Compass Group, which Oliver had soundly criticised in "Jamie's School Dinners".

Jamie has written for The Times, as well as for GQ and Marie Claire magazines. He currently writes for Delicious magazine in the UK and Australia.

See other books by Jamie Oliver click here

Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver