Why did Jamie Oliver call Lorde 'babe'?

Jamie Oliver with some of his family. The chef is facing questions after calling pop star Lorde 'babe' on Instagram. Photo/Instagram

A furore has erupted over a comment from Jamie Oliver on Lorde's latest Instagram post.

The celebrity chef was one of thousands who saw the latest picture of Lorde, who posed for a snap in Oslo and wrote: "In oslo looking like a president's wife or some s***".

But it was Oliver's comment underneath the pop star's photo that has people puzzled and has sparked a flurry of headlines calling his words "weird".

Underneath the pic, Oliver wrote: "Your funny babe hope your well j."

Viewers of the comment quickly took to Twitter to question the chef's choice of words, his obvious affection and his lack of grammar.

Can't stop thinking about jamie oliver's comment on lorde's instagram

— oat milf (@unhingedgems) June 28, 2017

Oliver, 42, has five children with wife Jools Norton.

Lorde, 20, is currently touring behind her second album, Melodrama, which has scored rave reviews.