Jamie Oliver's 'dear' son River is his brother Buddy's clone in birthday photo


The celebrity chef's youngest looks so grown up


man in denim shirt on sofa© Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock
Rachel Avery
Rachel AveryHomes Editor
August 7, 2025
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Jamie Oliver has a brood of five children, and they are all growing up fast! His youngest, River, turned nine on Thursday, and the celebrity chef celebrated with a smiling picture of his son.

"Happy birthday dear boy," wrote Jamie. River, with his blonde locks, beamed in front of the camera, wearing a striped T-shirt and we couldn't help but notice the resemblance to his older brother, Buddy.

blonde boy smiling
Nine-year-old River looked so sweet in the photo

Throwbacks of 14-year-old Buddy show him with the same cheeky smile and glossy locks. 

Buddy Oliver enjoys cooking outdoors when the weather permits© Instagram
Buddy Oliver when he was younger

River shares his birthday in the Oliver household though, as their beloved dog Conker turned four on the same day. Not to leave the pooch out, Jamie also posted a snap of the doggie. In fact, he posted that one first on his Instagram Stories – but who's checking…

WATCH: Jamie Oliver's family life unpacked

A week ago, Buddy was pictured cuddling up to Conker and fans couldn't believe how much of a perfect blend of both Jools and Jamie the teen is. "Jamie and Jools rolled into one," someone penned. 

dog by an open door
The dog has the same birthday as River

Jamie Oliver's mini-me chef

Buddy and his father are very close, and they share a love for cooking

 "Buddy's been my shadow in the kitchen since he was tiny and he has always found cooking a real adventure," he penned in the caption. 

"As a dad who cooks it’s been such a joy to watch and be a part of his journey learning new skills and cooking new dishes… And now he’s released his own cookbook showing you’re never too young to start making incredible things, getting stuck in and having a proper laugh along the way." 

collage of Jamie and Buddy Oliver side by side© Getty / Instagram
Jamie and Buddy Oliver are so similar

A family filled with love

The couple share five children together: Poppy, 23, Daisy, 22, Petal, 16, Buddy, 14, and nine-year-old River. Jamie loves being a dad, and his clan reciprocated the love on Father's Day earlier this year. 

Taking to Instagram, they hijacked his account and wrote: "Hi Dad!! We’ve hacked your account to take over for Father’s Day. We just wanted to say how much we LOVE you - and also maybe embarrass you a little with some of these photos…

View post on Instagram
 

"Thank you for always being there for us and for cheering us on in everything we do, for your entertaining texts and the pics you send us every day, for happily letting all of us (including mum) take the mick out of you every dinner and for always just standing there so unbothered while we scream with laughter at you.

"We’re so lucky to have you and are so proud of everything you do. Happy Father’s Day!!"

 

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