Oliver in war of words over beans

A war of words has broken out between Jamie Oliver and the makers of Heinz baked beans.

The celebrity chef caused a stir when he charged £7 (€10) for beans on toast at his restaurant Fifteen.

But the 29-year-old has now turned his back on the tinned pulses, saying they have no place in “a restaurant with integrity”.

Oliver blamed Heinz for what he confessed was a “publicity stunt”, and hinted that he was stupid to fall for it.

But Heinz hit back, saying it was not their decision to charge £7 for the snack, which was served up last autumn with olive oil, cherry tomatoes, red chillies, parmesan and ciabatta.

Oliver told the Evening Standard ES magazine: “I should have been brighter. Baked beans have got absolutely no place in any restaurant with integrity.

“Heinz came to us and offered £15,000 (€21,400) for us to put something cool made with baked beans on the menu. That funds one student for a whole year. Am I going to do it? Of course I am.”

The Naked Chef told tomorrow’s magazine: “What I didn’t realise was that Heinz’s marketing department was also working on it and next thing I know we’ve got giant baked beans running across the restaurant and paparazzi outside shouting ‘Oliver’s a w*****!’ It was quite surreal.

“If I’d known, I’d have given Heinz their money back.”

But a Heinz spokesman today said it was “both surprised and disappointed by his comments".

Michael Mullen said: “Heinz baked beans are the perfect food for restaurants because they are low in fat and high in fibre and contain many essential minerals.

“Heinz did not make any payment to Jamie Oliver or to Fifteen.

“We made a charitable donation to his charity, Cheeky Chops, set up to aid and develop cooking skills in today’s youth.”

He added: “At no point was Heinz involved in setting a price for the beans in the restaurant.

“We had meetings with Jamie’s representatives and showed him all the details of the marketing.”

The east London restaurant, which trains young chefs, was described as “amateurish” in Harden’s London Restaurants 2005 guide, published last year.

One visitor was quoted in the guide saying: “Just because it’s a charity doesn’t give them the right to rip people off.”