Born and raised in Clavering, Essex, he was educated in London before joining Antonio Carluccio's Neal Street restaurant as a pastry chef. While serving as a sous-chef at the River Café, he was noticed by Patricia Llewellyn of Optomen; and in 1999 the BBC aired his television show "The Naked Chef". This was followed by a first cook book, which became a No. 1 UK bestseller. His television work included a documentary, "Jamie's Kitchen", which gained him an invitation from Prime Minister Tony Blair to visit 10 Downing Street.