Jamie Oliver spotted in The Hills

North Kellyville shoppers picking up their groceries on Monday morning were in for a shock when celebrity chef Jamie Oliver rocked up to the store. So what was he doing there?

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver chatting to the crowd at Woolworths in North Kellyville Square. Pictures: Angelo Velardo

• First look at The Marsden Brewhouse
• Hills artist paints Steve Price

North Kellyville shoppers picking up their groceries on Monday morning were surprised to see celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in store.

The UK chef visited Woolworths North Kellyville to launch a new program with the supermarket giant called Healthier Easier, aimed at making healthier food choices easier for Australian families.

“Today we’re launching a big hub where there’s hundreds of recipes online which can help people all around the country, there’s hints, there’s tips, there’s little tutorials,” he said.

Jamie Oliver poses for a selfie with Kellyville shopper Joey.

Oliver said he wanted to ultimately “get people cooking and celebrating the incredible produce of this country”.

“At the end of the day we’re all working so hard, it’s busy, parents are juggling so many things, we all want to look after our kids and ourselves, we all want to buy stuff that’s fairer and better for the planet and I think at the end of the day one of the only places that most people go regularly, every week, is the supermarket,” Oliver said.

Little Declan and mum Emily were all smiles when Jamie Oliver popped into their local Woolworths.

The chef showed onlookers how to make a quick chopped salad with a dressing that swapped out mayonnaise for yoghurt and used leftover bread baked into croutons.

“Salad shouldn’t be boring, it should be exciting,” he said.

Although Oliver’s visit was a surprise to many locals, word quickly spread and a crowd soon formed of eager onlookers hoping to meet him.

Mandy Yaupaung and friend Marie Petrone, both from Kellyville, brought their favourite Jamie Oliver cookbooks for the chef to sign.

Petrone said she watches Oliver’s shows “every moment that he’s on” and said it was “fantastic” to see him in her area.

The cookbook author and television host said it was “beautiful to be back in your fine and wonderful country”.

Amy Coles, of Glenhaven, has been a fan of Oliver for a decade so when she received a text message from a friend telling her he was in the neighbourhood she rushed down.

“It’s not often you get the opportunity to see someone who is a world renowned chef and a family figure in your own home, you cook his recipes and things like that,” she said.

Belinda Robson, of Kellyville Ridge, had missed out on seeing the chef in his native UK but was lucky enough to spot him at her local supermarket.

“My husband has done two of his cooking courses in the UK at his school there and we’ve never seen him so the fact he’s here at our local Woolworths is pretty good,” she said.