JAMIE OLIVER

The British star gets candid about cooking, kids and catering to a whole new audience

- Amy Bielby

It’s been 25 years since Jamie Oliver introduced himself on The Naked Chef, bringing a fun new approach to food, particularly for families.

Throughout that time, he’s released a cookbook nearly every year. Now, Jamie, 49, is back with two big projects: Simply Jamie: Fast & Simple Food – his latest collection of recipes – and Billy and the Epic Escape, his second children’s fantasy novel!

“Those two books are probably the most important ones I’ve written,” the father of five says of his kids’ titles. “I find cooking so natural, but in school, words were my enemy – I was terrified of them.”

That didn’t keep the bestselling author, who has dyslexia, from creating the fictional series with some inspiration from his children – Poppy Honey, 22, Daisy Boo, 21, Petal Blossom, 15, Buddy Bear, 14, and eight-year-old River Rocket – whom he shares with wife Juliette Norton.