Jamie Oliver withdraws book over 'stereotyping' Indigenous Australians

Jamie Oliver has apologised and withdrawn a children’s book he wrote after an Indigenous Australian group blasted it for stereotyping its communities.

The Essex TV chef’s book Billy And The Epic Escape includes an Australian subplot, which tells the story of an Indigenous girl living in foster care.

Australia’s National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Corporation – which advises the government on education policies – said the plot contributes to the “erasure, trivialisation, and stereotyping of First Nations peoples and experiences”.

In a statement, Oliver, 49, said: “I am devastated to have caused offence and apologise wholeheartedly.

Jamie Oliver’s book Billy and the Epic Escape, which has been withdrawn. / Credit: PA

“It was never my intention to misinterpret this deeply painful issue. Together with my publishers, we have decided to withdraw the book from sale.”

A spokesman for publisher Penguin Random House said: “Our mission at Penguin Random House UK is to make books for everyone and with that commitment comes a deep sense of responsibility.

“It is clear that our publishing standards fell short on this occasion, and we must learn from that and take decisive action.

“With that in mind, we have agreed with our author, Jamie Oliver, that we will be withdrawing the book from sale.”

The TV chef is among a long list of celebrities to have produced their own book for youngsters.

Oliver released his first children’s book, Billy And The Giant Adventure, last year and said in a social media post that he had “carefully chosen the font to make sure the text is as clear as possible” as dyslexic people like himself can find it hard to read.

The famous cook is known for fronting multiple TV series including Jamie’s Easy Christmas (2022), Jamie Cooks The Mediterranean (2023) and Jamie: Fast And Simple, which began airing on Channel 4 last month.

In the noughties, he was known as The Naked Chef, after his 1999 book and TV series of the same name.

He has long campaigned on children’s food and nutrition and caused a furore in 2005 when he hit out at turkey twizzlers in school meals, in an attempt to make school dinners healthier for students.

Earlier in the year, he celebrated 15 years of his food education programme, the Ministry of Food, which delivers lessons on how to cook and eat healthy food at schools and communities across the UK.