Jamie Oliver and his family have enjoyed a big payout as his empire reported a pre-tax profit of £7.7 [€9] million in 2022.
Oliver's business interests include TV programmes, recipe books, branded products, partnerships and restaurants, and the newly-announced profit sees the Jamie Oliver Group earning 17.5% more than the previous year.
The earnings reflect a significant financial improvement for the chef, after his restaurant chain, Jamie's Italian, collapsed into administration in the UK in 2018 with debts of up to £83 [€97] million.
A total dividend of nearly €8 million was paid to shareholders this year, with Oliver and his family receiving a large portion of the payout, as they own the majority of the group’s shares.
The celebrity chef produced several popular UK TV series last year including Jamie’s One-Pan Wonders, which had an average of 1.2 millions viewers in the UK per episode, and Jamie’s £1 Wonders, with an average of 1.4 million viewers.
The latter programme, which was focused on the cost-of-living crisis as households looked to cut back everyday spending, appealed to a younger demographic with a higher-than-usual proportion of 16 to 35-year-olds tuning in, the group said.
He still has franchised restaurants in countries around the world, including Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and Jamie's Italian in Dundrum, Co. Dublin.
Last week, he announced the launch of a restaurant in London’s Catherine Street, due to open in November, amid a return to the UK restaurant industry.
The group’s chief executive, Kevin Styles, said: "The Jamie Oliver brand continues to resonate with audiences around the world.
"We plan to bring together all aspects of our group, including media, restaurants, products and the Ministry of Food, with a strong digital transformation plan."
