Jamie's Italian sales climb to £72m

Pre-tax profits at the restaurant chain jumped to £7.2m, accounts to be filed this week are expected to show, says the newspaper. But the chef had to take a £6m hit on a foray into kitchenware house parties.

Pre-tax profits at Jamie Oliver Holdings, which takes in several of his other interests, including books, will show a fall from £8m in 2010 to £3m. Profits would have reached £9m but for the one-off £6m provision relating to the investment in Jamie at Home, which runs Tupperware-style sales parties in British homes.

Fewer people attended the parties last year and those who did spent less.