Jamie Oliver's son Buddy towers over mum Jools in heartwarming photo

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliverhas shared a string of charming family snapshots in honour of his 49th birthday.

Amongst images uploaded to his Instagram Stories, the TV star, who turned 49 on Monday, uploaded a precious image of himself posing with his wife Jools and their two sons, Buddy, 13, and youngest River, seven.

While Jamie and Jools looked so loved-up posing together, it was their son Buddy who stole the show as he towered over his younger sibling and mother.

For the special family occasion, Buddy dressed down in a black-and-white sports top, while River donned a vibrant striped rainbow top. Meanwhile, Jamie looked dapper in a candy striped polo shirt as he lovingly hugged Jools who rocked a cosy navy jumper and check trousers.

The family occasion was made all the more sweeter thanks to the addition of an incredible chocolate birthday cake which took pride of place on their kitchen counter.

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Jamie's decadent birthday treat was a woodland wonder, complete with red toadstools, realistic plants, a single red candle and a brown-and-white dog - a tribute to their pet pooch, Conker.

Aside from his lavish birthday cake, Jamie was also treated to a dazzling lunch prepared by his mother. The family could be seen beaming from ear to ear as they gathered around a beautifully laid table decorated with fresh posies.

Aside from Buddy and River, lovebirds Jools and Jamie are also doting parents to daughters Poppy, 22, Daisy, 21, and Petal, 15.

More recently, their eldest two daughters have started to spread their wings with their respective university studies, travels and work commitments.

Speaking on Holly Tucker's Conversations of Inspiration podcast, Jools reflected: "It was really hard... You walk past their room once they're gone and you kind of cry… I cried all the way home on the train."

The designer continued: "And then like grief it gets easier, and then suddenly they come home and you think 'Oh my god, so, do you need to come home this weekend, because you've got washing' or, 'Dad and I doing stuff', and then you think, 'What am I saying. You must come home'."

Jamie Oliver's family life

Jamie and Jools tied the knot in July 2000 in Essex. After 23 years of marriage, the duo later renewed their wedding vows in the Maldives with their five children in tow.

The family-of-five live in a gorgeous Essex mansion which they purchased back in 2019. The amazing country property boasts ten bathrooms, two drawing rooms, and a great hall, while the grounds are also home to another six-bedroom 16th-century farmhouse, a three-bedroom lodge, and converted stables.

During an interview with The Times, the Jamie's One-Pan Wonders star revealed why he chose to purchase the Elizabethan mansion at a time when his high street restaurant chain was going into administration.

"If I was just being media savvy, I wouldn't have moved there when everything was going wrong," he admitted. "No one really knows why I bought this house."

He added: "To have come from where I was born to that house that's only had three families owning it in 600 years, for me as a kid that went through special needs in school, it's social mobility."