TV chef Jamie Oliver took home a staggering amount of earnings over the last year thanks to the success of his cost of living inspired £1 meals show
TV chef Jamie Oliver enjoyed a hefty payout thanks to his £1 meals, where he aimed to make meals for less amid the cost of living crisis.
Jamie’s £1 Wonders launched earlier this year, where the celebrity cook shared recipes that he claimed would cost a family £1 to make per portion. He is now set to reap the rewards of his work after his empire, which includes TV programmes, recipe books, branded products and partnerships as well as restaurants overseas, made a pre-tax profit of £7.7 million over 2022. It was up 17.5% compared to the previous year and comes as Jamie plans to relaunch a restaurant in the UK.
A total dividend of £6.8 million was paid to shareholders during the year and since the cooking guru and his family own the majority of the group’s shares, it means they will receive a big chunk of the payout. The rise in profit was driven by an 8% jump in revenues after the group doubled income from programme production and franchised restaurants. Sales for the Jamie Oliver Cookery School, which offers cooking classes in London and online, also grew by more than a third last year.
The celebrity chef produced multiple popular TV series last year including Jamie’s One-Pan Wonders and Jamie’s £1 Wonders, with an average of 1.4 million viewers. The latter programme appealed to a younger demographic with a higher-than-usual proportion of 16 to 35-year-olds tuning in, the group said. The earnings reflect a big financial improvement for Jamie Oliver Group after his restaurant chain, Jamie’s Italian, collapsed into administration in the UK in 2018 with debts of up to £83 million.