Jamie Oliver has confessed that his latest demanding pastime is "extraordinary", yet also represents the "most challenging thing" he's ever tackled. The celebrity chef's comments surfaced during a recent conversation with Zoe Ball on her BBC Radio 2 programme on November 29, when she enquired about how his "flying" was progressing, catching Jamie off guard.
When Zoe was questioned about her knowledge, she revealed she'd been told he was learning to fly, leading Jamie to offer frank revelations about his "extraordinary" pursuit, including the intensive training required.
He spoke about the "incredible community" he's now part of, though acknowledged it's a demanding endeavour.
Furthermore, Jamie, who once shared the 'ultimate' bacon sandwich recipe, disclosed that beyond the hands-on aspects, he must complete nine examinations.
Jamie remarked: "It's not what you think it is. It's an incredible community, but it's the most challenging thing I've ever done, I think, and the stuff I've had to learn. I've just done seven exams; I've got two more to go. It's extraordinary."
He added: "Most of us have done everything, but humans haven't really been flying for that long, and it's just...I'm up in some old tin that's probably as old as I am."
Zoe interjected, observing the "crazy thing" that some aircraft resemble a "Mini with two like ironing boards", whilst Jamie remarked it was amongst the most "extraordinary things" he's ever attempted.
Jamie continued: "I do think it's really important to have time for hobbies. For me, personally, I've had to multitask for 35 years, and I'm quite exhausted. And I can only think about one thing when I'm doing that, and that is flying; otherwise, I die."
Meanwhile, the celebrity chef, recognised for programmes including Jamie's One-Pan Wonders, Jamie's Easy Christmas, and Jamie: Eat Yourself Healthy, has shared details about one particular vegetable he likes purchasing frozen.
Whilst he also buys the leafy green fresh (and reportedly grows it at home), he championed the frozen version, describing it as "incredible" and "fantastic for curries and breads" via an Instagram update.
The father-of-five, married to Juliette Norton (known as Jools), extolled the virtues of spinach. He remarked: "So I buy fresh spinach, I grow fresh spinach and I always buy frozen spinach.
"This is incredible and this is fantastic for curries and breads, just putting an extra little cube in a stew or a soup is a fantastically brilliant thing to do."
In additional remarks regarding the vegetable within his post's caption, he penned: "Frozen spinach has to be the best way to get your greens in and it's so simple to keep in the freezer and use whenever you need it. just bash it with a rolling pin and crumble that nutrient rich goodness into curries stews soups you name it. Easiest hack ever x".