Last month, news broke that Jamie Oliver’s restaurant empire was crumbling, after filing for insolvency.

That’s not ideal (neither are the estimated 1 300 jobs lost as a result), and some in the know thought that the chef himself may see his vast personal fortune take a serious knock in the wake of the news.

Well, fans of Jamie will be pleased to know that he is still doing just fine, with renovations on his new £6 million (R113 million) home near Braintree in Essex kicking off this week.

You have to be cashed up to pay that sum of money and then renovate, people.

Let’s go the Daily Mail for more:

The TV chef, 44, bought Spains Hall near Braintree in Essex at the end of 2018 and has said he wants to turn into the ‘perfect family home’ for his wife and five children. The six-bedroom Tudor mansion dates back to 1570 and is surrounded by 70 acres of land…

The celebrity chef, wife Jules, 44, and their children Poppy, 17, Daisy, 16, Petal, 10, Buddy Bear, eight, and River, two, currently live in a £8.9million mansion off Hampstead Heath, north London.

It is not yet clear when the Olivers plan to make the move to Essex, where the father-of-five was born and bred, and when renovations will be completed.

The 44-year-old previously clashed with planning officials at Braintree Council over plans to move an ancient pot hook at Spains Hall so he can ‘create new dishes using historical cooking methods’.

The property stems back to the 16th century, and is listed as a heritage site, meaning that any alterations need to be approved by the local council.

Shall we have a look at some aerial shots of the property?

Stunning.

The front of the crib’s not bad from ground level, either:

Jamie’s net worth is listed on a number of different sites as being close to or around $300 million, so I guess there’s some spare change to throw around on a countryside retreat with renovations.

[source:dailymail]