Jamie Oliver's 10,000 calorie Christmas (2024)

As a prominent healthy eating campaigner, Jamie Oliver has fought tirelessly to reduce obesity levels across the nation.

So when the chef announced he was releasing his first yuletide cookbook, fans could be forgiven for expecting a fun-free – and fat-free – festive family feast.

Instead, the 41-year-old star’s Christmas lunch wades in at more than 7,000 calories per person – and almost 10,000 for the day if you include his ‘leftovers’ suggestions.

According to government and NHS guidelines, the average woman should eat around 2,000 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight. A man requires about 2,500.

Undoubtedly while the recipes do look delicious, they are not for the faint-hearted... or those watching their weight.

His turkey, for instance, comes wrapped in salted, streaky bacon and covered in a sage butter, while his ‘phenomenal spuds’ are dripping in both butter and extra virgin olive oil.

The celebrity chef’s sides include a creamed spinach with cheesy oat crumble, honey-roasted parsnips and the American-style pumpkin puree with marshmallows and maple syrup.

His standard Christmas pudding recipe clocks in at a gut-busting 627 calories a portion – and that’s without the brandy butter or cream.

For those who don’t like the traditional dessert there’s a chocolate pot pud, which clocks in at 441 calories per person.

The recipes are included in Oliver’s £26 Christmas Cookbook, which has already sold more than 8,000 copies. Helpfully, there are details of the precise calorie content of each dish.

News of the father of five’s less-than-saintly festive delights come 13 years after he was awarded an MBE for his services to hospitality.

Last year he made a documentary called Sugar Rush, calling for drinks’ companies to reduce the amount of sugar in their products.

He campaigned for a 7p sugar tax on all fizzy drinks in a bid to tackle the ongoing childhood obesity epidemic.

In 2005 he launched Jamie’s School Dinners, a formal campaign to ban unhealthy food in canteens and encourage youngsters to eat healthy, nutritious food instead.

His efforts helped bring the subject to the political forefront, and changed the types of dishes served in schools across the country.

His Ministry of Food campaign began three years later, teaching Britons to cook meals for themselves from scratch.

In August, Oliver criticised Theresa May’s decision to abandon plans to curb junk food advertising and said he was ‘shocked’ at the Government’s childhood obesity strategy.

The chef did not respond to requests for a comment last night.