British celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson have paid tribute to Bill Granger following the Australian food pioneer’s tragic death from cancer at the age of 54.

Oliver, 48, took to Instagram to express his sadness: ‘This is devastating news, I’m so sad to hear this, what a man he was…. a wonderful person, kind calm soul.’

“I admired everything he represented in food. I remember the first time I met him, many moons ago, he couldn’t have been nicer and his food was so good,” Oliver added.

In a second tribute to Jamie’s Instagram Story, the British celebrity chef wrote that he “loved Bill so much.”

“This is such sad news… I loved Bill Granger so much, he was such a wonderful man, warm, charming, and he had an extraordinary ease and cooking style that could only come from Australia,” Jamie wrote.

“Bless you Bill, so much love! What a guy. So much love for his family and friends.’

Meanwhile, Nigella, 63, said she was ‘heartbroken’ to hear Granger had died.

“He was the sweetest man, and the joy he gave us – whether through his food, his books, the spaces he made for us, or personally – came from the kindness, generosity and pure, radiant exuberance of himself. .it’s too cruel,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

World-famous Australian chef Bill has died at the age of 54, his family revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Wednesday.

“He will be deeply missed by all, with his loss felt most deeply by his beloved family, who are grateful for all the love and support given,” the message said.

“It is with great sadness that the family of Bill Granger announce that he passed away on December 25 at the age of 54.

‘Bill, a devoted husband and father, died peacefully in hospital with his wife Natalie Elliott and three daughters, Edie, Inès and Bunny, at his bedside in their adopted home in London.’

Former MasterChef judge Matt Preston also remembered Bill as a ‘really nice guy and an inspiration’.

‘I’m so sorry to hear this news… Together (with Natalie by his side) he helped shape the image of modern Australian food around the world. My thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone he worked with at this sad time,” he wrote.

Australian actor Jason Donovan said Bill’s death is “devastating” news.

‘Wonderful father and husband. Fantastic man! Ray of Australian sunshine,” the former Neighbors star said.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Bill was a self-taught chef who became a celebrated global restaurateur and food writer with a career spanning more than 30 years.

In 1999, he and his wife Natalie began a professional partnership that launched the company worldwide. Together they built a successful business that today has 19 restaurants in Sydney, London, Greater Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Seoul.

Bill wrote fourteen cookbooks, created five TV series and was recently honored with the Medal of the Order of Australia in January 2023.

He will be remembered as the ‘King of Breakfast’ for turning unpretentious food into something special full of sunshine and for encouraging the growth of Australian casual and communal dining around the world.

The self-taught chef left art school at the age of 24 and opened his first ‘Bills’ restaurant in Sydney’s Darlinghurst in 1992.

Bill went on to own an empire of 18 cafes and restaurants around the world, including Japan, Hawaii and London.

The chef was credited with inventing a breakfast item that has come to define a generation: the humble avocado on toast.

Nigella Lawson has built a culinary empire thanks to her impeccable food, beautiful kitchens and chic style. So it’s encouraging to know that she’s also prone to the occasional kitchen disaster.

The 63-year-old TV chef proved she’s not always the queen of the kitchen and shared comical clips from her filming Nigella’s Amsterdam ChristmasIt’s a special for BBC One with her 2.9 million Instagram followers, shortly after the show aired.

In one blooper you see the Domestic Goddess drop her keys. Elsewhere, she struggles to open a jar and misses a pan twice: once when pouring water, the other time when adding spices.

In the opening scene of the outtakes, the star arrives in a seasonal kitchen littered with Christmas lights – but the intro scene ends badly when she drops her keys on the floor and smiles at the camera, saying, “I have to do that again.” !’

Those filming her can’t hide their giggles, and in a caption alongside the clips, Nigella wrote: ‘Just to let you know what my crew actually has to put up with, here’s an outtakes reel!’

And home cooks clearly appreciated her honesty.

One wrote: ‘This is fantastic Nigella! It doesn’t make the rest of us feel so bad if we mess up!’

Another fan wrote, “Even ‘Domestic Goddesses’ are human sometimes.”

Her latest festive show, filmed in the Dutch capital, delighted viewers once again – with her signature allusions as reliable as Santa Claus at Christmas.

Away from the kitchen, Nigella took viewers to some of her top picks in Amsterdam, including a sweet shop that sells licorice, a Dutch cheese shop and a spot serving the country’s favorite fast food chips.

Back in the kitchen, the double entenders came thick and fast.

She scattered some nuts into a large bag and said, “And for this I need my nut bashing bag.” She destroyed the contents and added, “Very useful.”

Nigella then smiled cheekily at the camera and said: ‘We all need an outlet at Christmas.’

On X/Twitter, a viewer responded: “I need a nut bashing bag #nigella…

Another wrote: ‘#nigella nut bashing bag. Take it easy,” while a third added: “Everyone knew she had a nut case, right? #nigella’.

Elsewhere, there was a moment where some sausages had to be guided back into their pastry casings, which again provoked more than a few giggles among viewers.

Nigella recently opened up about how she doesn’t necessarily stick to Christmas tradition when it comes to cooking.

She told The Sunday Times: ‘Although I love a slice of thick, moist Christmas cake, especially when eaten with a slice of strong, sharp cheese, I am surrounded by people who hate dried fruit in all its seasonal manifestations .

“If no one in your family likes dried fruit, there’s no point in letting a Christmas cake gather dust or just be eaten by the suffering.” If chocolate cake appeals more to you, go for it.”