Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall announces closure with immediate effect

Fifteen Cornwall at the Watergate Bay hotel has today announced that it will close with immediate effect.

The restaurant, one of the last remaining Jamie Oliver sites in the UK, was run under a licence by charitable trust the Cornwall Food Foundation. Both the charity and restaurant are set to be liquidated following an independent financial review.

In a statement the restaurant said: "We are deeply saddened to announce that today Fifteen Cornwall will close and cease trading with immediate effect.

"We are profoundly sorry for the hurt, loss and distress this announcement will undoubtedly cause. We are extremely grateful to all our loyal customers, supporters and amazing suppliers and to the partners, staff and trainees that have made Fifteen Cornwall and the Cornwall Food Foundation so special for almost 14 years."

Oliver said: "I am very surprised and saddened to learn that Fifteen Cornwall and the Cornwall Food Foundation have closed. Both organisations have always been run separately from us, but the team has done an amazing job with the trainee programme, training over 200 chefs and reaching so many more along the way - so this is a huge blow. My thoughts are with everyone affected."

The celebrity chef had launched his Fifteen initiative in 2002, training 15 people a year to work in hospitality. The original London site closed in May this year when Oliver's UK restaurant group fell into administration. Fifteen Cornwall not been affected by the restaurant group's collapse as it was operated under a license agreement.