Jamie Cullum: I'd do anything for Jamie Oliver
Too many cooks failed to spoil a charity feast put on by Jamie Oliver's young recruits from the Fifteen Foundation in London.
Oliver, 34, was flanked last night by some of the biggest names from the restaurant world, including Jimmy Doherty, James Martin, Rachel Allen, Gennaro Contaldo, Giorgio Locatelli and MasterChef winner Thomasina Miers for a night of fine dining.
It was the largest gathering of celebrity chefs Oliver has ever brought together for his annual Big Night Out event and he said he was honoured so many had turned out to support him.
"I'm really proud," he said. "We've got a wonderful selection of some of the best chefs in the country here tonight - it's nice to have a bit of back-up.
"We're all passionate about young people and ultimately the catering industry needs young people to come through to stay alive and to keep at the forefront of some of the best cooking in the world."
And the Essex-born chef wondered why they do not all do it more often.
"What English chefs don't do enough is come together and act as one. I wish I'd had back-up like this when I did school dinners."
But the Naked Chef said he felt no pressure cooking for his peers and wowed them with an ambitious spaghetti vongole that he joked "was hard cooking for 25 people, let alone 250".
Oliver said: "Who wants to cook a load of safe stuff? I'm taking a risk but it's going to be beautiful."
Jazz musician Jamie Cullum provided the entertainment for his friend's big night.
Cullum said: "It's a great endeavour set up by someone who's not only talented but knows how to use his talent for the greater good. He's a great guy and I'd do anything for him really."
Cullum's fiancee, Sophie Dahl, herself an aspiring chef, added her name to the guest list, sitting alongside Jools Oliver.
Chef Jimmy Doherty, star of TV series Jimmy's Farm, paid tribute to his lifelong friend: "Jamie's fairly unique in his ability to instil confidence in people - he's an instigator, a great person for getting people together... and he's selfless."
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The evening was raising funds for the Fifteen Foundation, founded by Oliver, which recruits 18 under-privileged young people and puts them through a one-year intensive catering training course. The scheme regularly lands the young chefs sought-after jobs at the UK's top restaurants, including Coq d'Argent and The Ritz.
However, the scheme, which is partly funded from the proceeds of Oliver's Fifteen restaurants in London, Cornwall, Amsterdam and Melbourne, relies on additional fundraising of £500,000 a year.
