Jamie Oliver about his childhood

He’s a star chef, restaurant owner and bestselling author, but Jamie Oliver has faced his share of setbacks. He tells us more about his childhood.

“I grew up a real country boy in Clavering, in the county of Essex, about 18 miles from Cambridge. By age five, I was already helping out in my parents’ pub The Cricketers, washing glasses and chopping veg for £1 an hour. I was really good with the knife even back then, and to be honest, I cooked up some really good grub, even as a kid. But my parents taught me something else really important: a great work ethic and 
how to treat others with respect and friendliness, and how to stay polite even when you’re stressed and your feet are killing you. I sometimes wish my own kids could help their grandparents out now and again, and learn all that. Back then I soon understood: if you want to get anywhere, you have to roll up your sleeves and get on with it.

My parents were working class; I have no idea why all these people 
I met later with my food show The Naked Chef on TV thought I was some privileged rich kid who went 
to a private school. Actually I was a chubby, thick kid who was so bad at school I needed extra lessons for the simplest things.