Jamie Oliver claims British chefs are ‘wet behind the ears'

Jamie Oliver has claimed that British employees are "wet behind the ears" and said his restaurants would close without the tougher immigrant workforce.

The restaurateur, who employs 350 chefs, said that he is frustrated by the lack of drive shown by British chefs, who can't handle the long hours culture that he was brought up on in the kitchen.

Oliver told the Daily Mail

"British kids particularly, I have never seen anything so wet behind the ears. I have mummies phoning up for 23-year-olds saying to me, ‘My son is too tired.' On a 48-hour-week! Are you having a laugh?"

He added that European workers were "much stronger, much tougher".

"If we didn't have any, all of my restaurants would close tomorrow," Oliver said. "There wouldn't be any Brits to replace them."

Oliver claimed he was working 15 hour days in his father's pub at the age of 13.

He added: "It's all very well when people are slagging off immigration, and I'm sure there are problems. And older people always complain about youth. The young will be better at different things, but long hours in hot kitchens is not one of them!

"I was a bit of a workaholic. But I was brought up like that."

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