was anything more inevitable than this?

Met Jamie a few years ago in Sydney..nice chap..and then went to the opening of one of his Melbourne restaurants.
A foreigner taking restaurants to Melbourne really is Coals to Newcastle.
It was odd he chose Melbourne to open several but possibly because it's a great city to go out in..easy to get about (so lurve their extensive tram system) and full of nightlife.
good inexpensive restaurants of any bar, say New York. But far cheaper.
Possibly to do with the ginormous Greek population..the largest outside Athens, the Vietnamese and Thai influences and so on.

All his Melbourne ventures collapsed.

But Jamie Oliver's food , to me, just isn't very exciting. It's good but not that good.

His entire career is built on a likeable ladish persona dishing up food that isn't too different to what other chefs deliver.

I've never heard of anyone raving about a meal at a Jamie Oliver restaurant. Never heard of anyone saying they'll go back.

I once tried one of his pre-packaged meals..no better than any others but more expensive. Oz supermarket chains dropped then after massive promotions. Didn't sell.

As likeable as Oliver is, he's a real example of today, how Style Over Substance reigns.

Does it not occur to folks that a country that now has millions of people..even those with jobs, having to access Food Banks that expensive restaurant chains are an anathema?

Watch the once adoring media now rip him to shreds, rightly or wrongly.

Sad about all those young people who work for him though.

Really good post Hedda (by the way, please post about the Aussie election results - good or bad?). I agree. People don't want to admit the real reason for things. Why did Jamie succeed? Because he was pretty. Now he's not; he's a total failure. Why did One Direction succeed? Because they were pretty. Now they're not they are simply cashing in on past success (good for them - plus I think Harry is rather a good little actor). Why did Justin Bieber succeed? Because he was gorgeous. Not any more but the kid had the sense to start making fucking good records. Well done Justin!

Once a twat,always a twat?
A young face,not so pretty,but a smug young PC....who could cook,and sounded the kind of person the Blair years wanted on TV....

...made a fool of himself over school meals....then blamed Brexit for his problems a while ago...claiming a low pound was making imports expensive....but when I pointed out some basic economics...the fact that when he founded his restaurant the pound was even lower than it was then ....a sudden silence....

....Pictured above,outside his Bali restaurant recently....it was empty...as was his Gatwick place....which I pass often on my flights...preferring to spend my money elsewhere....

....