Jamie Oliver: 'I'm Not The Best Parent - I'll Be Shocked If My Kids Go To University'

Jamie Oliver: 'I'm Not The Best Parent - I'll Be Shocked If My Kids Go To University'
British Chef Jamie Oliver
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British Chef Jamie Oliver

Jamie Oliver has said he would be 'shocked' if any of his four children go to university – because he stops them doing their homework.

He told Event magazine: "Maybe I am not the best parent. My daughter has to do two hours of homework a night. After one hour I'm saying, 'Come on stop now. Let's play. Let's do something'."

The chef – father to Poppy, 11, Daisy, 10, Petal four, and Buddy, three – added: "If one of my kids goes to university I will be shocked."

Jamie Oliver and wife Jools Oliver, with daughters poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Blossom Rainbow, leave Portland Hospital with their newborn baby son Buddy on September 16, 2010 in London, England.
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Jamie Oliver and wife Jools Oliver, with daughters poppy Honey, Daisy Boo and Blossom Rainbow, leave Portland Hospital with their newborn baby son Buddy on September 16, 2010 in London, England.

And he also questioned the relevance of intense academic study, saying: "I don't know if that's the way to go. In Korea and Japan there are kids doing 14 or 16 hours days of school. Is that the way to go?"

Perhaps he's right: after all, achieving limited qualifications at school (just two GCSEs) and suffering from dyslexia didn't stop Jamie becoming the multi-millionaire he is today.

He also said he wanted his children to learn about the value of money the hard way. He said: "I want to start them off working in my dad's pub like I did."

The most valuable thing he derived from his days at Newport Free Grammar School in Essex appears to be his friendship with organic farmer Jimmy Doherty.

The pair will this week launch a new Channel 4 series, Jamie And Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, in which they invite celebrities, including Usain Bolt and Sienna Miller, to showcase their favourite dishes.

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