Jamie Oliver has claimed his restaurant empire would have survived if the eateries had been 'posh'.
The celebrity chef's chain - Jamie's Italian - went into administration earlier this year, with 22 of his 25 venues closing, including the Manchester restaurant on King Street.
It meant a loss of around 1,000 jobs. Up to 80 of those were in Manchester.
In an interview with You Magazine , Jamie said he 'thought he could save' his empire, pumping millions of his own cash into the business, and that his 'mid-market dining' approach could have been to blame.
The 44-year-old said: "The past four-and-a-half years have been the hardest of my life.
"Mainly because I thought I could save my restaurant group."
Jamie, who shot to fame as the Naked Chef two decades ago, continued: "Even when I put it into administration, I still made sure all my staff were paid personally by me.
"If I'd have spent 13 years opening posh restaurants, I could assure you they'd all be open today.
"You know, Britain has always been very good at nourishing the rich. My obsession – just because I knew it was my audience – was mid-market dining. It was so badly represented."
