Jamie and Jools Oliver and their five children live in the Essex countryside, and the chef gave an emotional insight into the reason they decided to relocate after 25 years living in London.
Speaking to ES Magazine, Jamie revealed the village has a special meaning to he and Jools, sharing: “Home is a little village in Essex called Finchingfield. It’s a beautiful little place and somewhere I used to take Jools for dates when we were younger.
“Before that [home] was London for 25 years. After Covid, we decided to sort of make the jump.”
The jump they made was certainly an impressive one, with their home reportedly costing £6million, boasting ten bathrooms, two drawing rooms and a great hall, while the grounds also boast another six-bedroom 16th-century farmhouse, three-bedroom lodge and converted stables – wow!
Jamie wasn’t joking when he called Finchingfield beautiful – it’s the most photographed village in England, with cute colourful cottages, a quaint duck pond, a fairy tale-perfect windmill, a charming humpback bridge and a picture-perfect village green.
The cute village is 54 miles from Jamie and Jool’s former London home, and the Oliver’s abode is well-known to locals, with the village website calling their property: “The most distinguished house in the area.”
That said, the sprawling home isn’t without its drawbacks. The same website states that three servants drowned in the ponds at the home back in the 1500s, while the lady of the house died there too – we hope the Olivers aren’t easily spooked!
© Photo: Getty ImagesWhile their new home looked incredible, Jamie looks back fondly on his home in London in Hampstead, going so far as to say he’d like to be buried in the pub next to his former home.
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“I think my happiest time in London was living next door [to the Holly Bush Pub in Hampstead],” he told ES Magazine.
“People told me not to move there, but I loved it. Even when Liam Gallagher was shouting through the letterbox saying, ‘Make me a bacon sandwich,'” he continued.
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The Oliver family maintained their connection to Hampstead until selling their home there in 2022. The Sun reported that the eight-bedroom home was sold for £15 million, after Jamie and Jules initially bought it for £8.95 million in 2015 – quite the profit!
© Toby Hancock/ShutterstockWe look forward to seeing glimpses of their family home during the Christmas period, though it’s set to be a different kind of holiday for the family, with Jamie and Jools’ 21-year-old daughter Poppy currently traveling the world with her boyfriend. We’re sure it’ll still be magical, though!
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