Now numerous branches have opened countrywide, Katherine MacAlister finds out if the restaurant still has family appeal

When Jamie’s Italian opened in Oxford it was a big deal. We were the first of his restaurants to open nationwide. Mr Oliver arrived in town with han entire media circus in tow. It was all new and exciting.

But as the carnival moved on and branch after branch opened up all over the country, like everything else, Jamie’s became the norm – just another George Street staple.

Apart from visiting his pizzeria next door, I haven’t been back since. So when revisiting on Friday night to try out the ‘kids eat free’ offer to celebrate coming top of the Soil Association’s children’s meals study, I was amazed to find the place absolutely heaving and immediately understood that while I had moved on to newer pastures, his loyal audience is still right here, chowing down on massive bowls of pasta.

The Soil Association had noted that only Jamie’s Italian could reliably tell parents where the meat in its children’s meals comes from, adding that “Jamie’s is head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to serving fresh food you can trust – freshly cooked food, organic meat, free-range eggs and sustainable fish at a reasonable price”. The findings also praised the menu’s nutritional content noting that “the menu packs in the goodness, making healthy eating enjoyable.” Praise indeed.

As Jamie is a vociferous schools, and healthy eating, campaigner, one would hope so, but still – way to go Jamie.

Perhaps that’s why his Oxford restaurant was packed like a convict ship crossing Byron Bay. Had we not booked, we wouldn’t have been able to even get in at 6pm.

It was too crowded for me though, even though they squeezed us into the dark, hectic basement next to the kitchen hatch. It also meant that on being seated at 6pm it took until 7pm to get our mains, never good with small children who by then have eaten the garlic bread, done the wordsearch, lost all the colouring pencils under the table and are now beginning to climb the dark, moist walls.

Expecting the same old menu, I was encouraged by the many new dishes which broke up the house favourites, my teenage sons ignored them and aiming straight for the classics - tagliatelle Bolognese and meatball spaghetti.

But first we ordered the garlic and rosemary buns, the Italian nachos and some croquettes (the latter both £3.95). The delicious, crispy, fried ravioli were stuffed with mozzarella, ricotta and bella lodi and served with a spicy Sicilian tomato sauce, while the spinach and ricotta croquettes disappeared before the waiter had even left the room.

Then a long wait, the special tuna linguini, the £10.95 bolognese, the meatball pappardelle £11.95 and the harissa spiced aubergine £9.95 (roasted aubergine topped with a ragu of lentils, tomatoes, raisins and smoked paprika with a garlicky almond yoghurt dressing, toasted pine nuts, lemony rocket and pomegranate), eventually following.

The kids had the happy chicken lollipops which came with a shaky salad in a jar, hedgehog potatoes and a drink - little kids £6.50, big kids £6.95.

And we all got properly stuck in, spaghetti sauce on chins, napkins round necks, pasta trailing down shirts. It was good, hearty, generous, messy, tasty food. The harissa aubergine was a real highlight, beautifully cooked, silky smooth and soft as a rabbit’s ear.

By the time we had finished the mains, the sand had run through the hourglass and was gathering dust, and our little ‘uns were rapidly turning into demons. Time was up and opting for pudding would be like pressing the big red button, so we headed back in the pouring rain.

On the bus home I took my rain hat off to Jamie Oliver because he’s still got the Midas touch regardless of how far his empire now stretches. Perhaps it’s because he understands the family dynamic better than most, or cares more about the food.

But the time issue was a big problem and I would have to penalise him on that because I’m sure Jamie Oliver, father of four, is more aware of the witching hour than most.

Jamie’s Italian  
24-26 George Street, Oxford
01865 838383 www.jamieoliver.com/italian/restaurants/oxford/