She’s an author, rubs shoulders with Hollywood royalty and her husband’s
a celebrated chef. But what makes Jools Oliver proudest is being a mum.

While husband Jamie, the Naked Chef, is a household name, Jools is far less confident in the spotlight. But she’s just as impressive – when she overcame infertility to have two babies in less than 18 months, Jools not only  became a mum, she wrote a book about it.

Her latest project is a children’s book. The Adventures of Dotty and Bluebell charts the escapades of a naughty little girl and her more sensible big sister. Jools’ daughters Poppy, six, and Daisy, five, were an endless source of material. 

‘They almost helped me write it,’ Jools says. ‘I’d read it to them and they’d say: “I don’t like that bit, Mummy.” I’d ask them what they’d prefer to happen. It was really helpful.’

She should have a ready-made celebrity fan base for the book – the Jolie-Pitt clan. ‘Jamie’s good friends with Brad,’ she says. ‘I’ve actually bought a present for Knox and Vivienne, which I haven’t sent yet. So I’ll send them my book as well, and see if they enjoy that.’

Now her mind’s on her next project, a third baby. When’s it due? ‘April Fool’s Day,’ she laughs. ‘Typical!’

For the Olivers, becoming parents wasn’t easy. In her first book, Jules disclosed intimate details of their epic journey to conception, including Jamie’s madcap moped dash across London to a private hospital in order to help fertilise her eggs.

With the help of fertility drugs, Poppy was eventually conceived, and then, catching them unawares, Daisy followed soon after, with no intervention.

Their attempts for child number three were fruitless until Jools went back on the fertility drug – and this time it was she who followed Jamie around the country in
a feverish attempt to conceive!

‘Jamie would love a boy. He’s overrun by women in this house,’ Jools explains. ‘To be honest, a healthy baby is all we want. But I’d quite like another girl – and the girls would love to have a sister.’ 

The Adventures of Dotty and Bluebell by Jools Oliver and Claire Fletcher, Picture Puffin 2008, rrp $26.95.

By Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon