Jamie Oliver’s Son Buddy Will Earning his Way as a Chef instead of Living off his Name, Says Father.

Jamie Oliver says his 12-year-old son Buddy will ‘earn his trade’ when he becomes a chef and won’t live off his name as a typical ‘Nepo Baby’.

The Essex-born star, 47, who released his first children’s book Billy and the Giant Adventure on Thursday, has seen the youngster become a huge hit online thanks to his Cooking Buddies series that has racked up millions of hits.

But Jamie insists that if Buddy chooses to follow in his footsteps, he, like him, will have a good foundation to turn his rising star son into a more complete chef.

Jamie told MailOnline exclusively: ‘The only way to do it is to do it right.

“The technical and practical side of cooking is one thing, but the really interesting and emotional thing about cooking is serving people, immersing yourself in food growers and farmers, you can’t fake that.”

Jamie, who released his first children’s book Billy and the Giant Adventure on Thursday, has seen the youngster become a huge hit online thanks to his Cooking Buddies series

But Jamie insists that if Buddy chooses to follow in his footsteps, he, like him, will have a good foundation to turn his rising star son into a more complete chef.

He continued, “When I was running the Fifteen restaurant, where most of our young people were unemployed, out of prison, or out of trouble.

“We’ve put these kids in front of great farmers and artisans, fishermen and producers, that’s what changes you and I certainly would with Buddy, if he wanted to go down that path. He would certainly deserve his trade.’

Jamie says Buddy has yet to reveal his future career aspirations and even claims his son isn’t technology oriented despite his success online, admitting “he doesn’t even go on YouTube.”

But the father of five does reveal that the youngster’s cooking talents were developed through sheer practice.

He explained, “When he was ten, and you can find this online, he filleted a mackerel.

“It’s not because he’s a special kid, it’s because kids are brilliant and if they repeat things a few times they get good at it – be it cricket, boxing or gymnastics. a cheap fish that’s damn good for you, and he cooked it for his brother River, 90 percent crispy skinned, and you can’t produce that content.

“When I take him to market on a Saturday, he has 70-year-old men saying, ‘I never really liked your old man, but I saw you make that video and came here and brought mackerel.’

“He has that effect on people, especially the older generation. I’m really proud of him, he’s a good boy.’

Jamie and wife Jools share five children Poppy, 21, Daisy, 20, Petal, 14, and River, six, as well as Buddy

The couple have just returned from the Maldives after renewing their wedding vows after 23 years of marriage

Jamie wanted to renew his wedding vows to mark the couple’s 20th anniversary, but Covid prevented them from doing so, with the star explaining that the Maldives ceremony was a “moment” to let his children know that their parents’ be tight

Jamie and wife Jools, 48, share five children Poppy, 21, Daisy, 20, Petal, 14, and River, six, as well as Buddy.

The couple have just returned from the Maldives after renewing their wedding vows after 23 years of marriage.

Their return to the UK comes as Jamie releases his very first children’s book, something he thought would never be achieved as he suffers from dyslexia.

Indeed, the celebrity chef reveals that he read his first book in his mid-thirties due to his struggles, admitting that Buddy was a better reader than he was when he was just nine years old.

Jamie said, ‘It was never my intention to write this book. I used to read to my kids, with Petal and Buddy on either side, and at that point, where they could read better, they’d say “Look, Dad, don’t read — just tell us a story from memory.” And they were only nine and ten.’

He says the book was a ‘four-year process’, initially recording his thoughts on a dictaphone before trying to put words to paper during the lockdown, which he says was ‘the hardest part’.

He explained, “It was good for me, it felt like meditation, the idea of ​​being able to write and refine a story that had values ​​and had a magical world tore up the genius of the 1980s.”

‘The font is dyslexic-friendly, chapters always start on the right to avoid confusion, so there are little things that help people like me who have trouble reading.

“I didn’t read my first book until I was in my mid-thirties. It’s not because I was lazy or fat, I just couldn’t commit, I couldn’t dig.’

Jamie, who has Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels stars Jason Flemyng and Dexter Fletcher to voice characters in the audiobook, is still over the moon from his trip to the Maldives.

He admits that his family never travels further than 90 minutes from the UK due to Jools’ fear of flying, but she bravely overcame her fear on the way to the tropical islands of the Indian Ocean, also boarding a seaplane to take them to their resort. .

Jamie jokes that their wedding night was very different from their first, with a barbecue and swimming with their kids, who he says are the main reason they decided to renew their vows

He added: ‘They weren’t there for the first time, of course, but now that they’re starting to leave the nest, we wanted somewhere all to be together, to be a team and to belong.

“I know a lot of this can sound cheesy and dignified, and I don’t want it to sound that way, but at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. You are not just a couple, you are not just a family, you are a team.

“It won’t always be great, never for everyone. S*** goes down and you have to be patient with each other, be there for each other. It just felt like the right time to do it.’

• Billy and the Giant Adventure is now available in bound RRP £14.99, eBook and audio

The family’s return to the UK comes as Jamie releases his first ever children’s book, something he thought would never be achieved as he suffers from dyslexia.