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The UK's 10 most successful celebrity chefs revealed - who made the grade?

Discover which chefs scored highest for net worth, cookbooks and more

chefs
Sophie Hamilton
Parenting Editor
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Do you remember when the whole concept of a celebrity chef wasn't even a thing? Chefs cooked food and that was that.

Now, the UK has numerous famous chefs with their own TV shows and cookery books – some even throw their own summer festivals.

A 2020 report by money.co.uk has ranked the nation's most successful celebrity chefs, scoring them on eight factors: net worth, restaurants, number of published cookbooks, Michelin stars, social media influence and earnings, TV appearances and TV career length.

WATCH: Gordon Ramsay shows off panoramic underwater views at £6m Cornwall home

Using a weighted ranking system, the study then assigned a score to each chef in the index, revealing the most successful celebrity chefs. Can you guess who topped the list?

Our much-loved high spirited Gordon Ramsay made it to number one! The father-of-five is estimated to be worth £171 million owing to his 102 published cookbooks, 35 restaurants, and 21-year broadcast career. Wow!

Gordon and Tana attending a GQ dinner© Getty
Gordon Ramsay is the UK's most successful celebrity chef

In second place is Jamie Oliver, who has 118 cookbooks and an estimated net worth of £233 million. However, he lost points to Gordon on his Michelin star score, social media score and number of TV episodes.

Jamie Oliver smiling© Getty
Jamie Oliver made second place in the list

Italian chef Gino D'Acampo came in third, followed by Tom Kerridge, James Martin and Marcus Wareing.

Gino D'Acampo waves as he cooks on This Morning© Shutterstock
This Morning chef Gino came third in the report

Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk comments: "Celebrity and wealth used to be the exclusive domain of actors, singers, and sports stars, but in recent years there is plenty of cash in cooking because of the increased appetite for food shows.

"As the world’s culinary experts consolidate their TV appearances, recipe books, and expand their brands on social media, it’s fair to say that the top cooks are feasting on the money they are making from their fame.

"The UK’s top 25 celebrity chefs have a combined net worth of £727 million. Whether it’s their hypnotising cooking skills or their harsh but entertaining reviews, celebrity foodies are much more than just skilled in the kitchen."

Nigella Lawson wearing black dress with long sleeves© Getty
Nigella Lawson is the highest ranked female chef at number 12

Here at HELLO!, we have noticed that there are no female chefs in the top 10, although Nigella Lawson, Mary Berry, Thomasina Miers, Rosemary Shrager, Lorraine Pascal and Delia Smith all made the top 25. Here's hoping some of our amazing female chefs make the top 10 next year.

You can see the full report at money.co.uk

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