Jamie Oliver criticises swearing chefs

Jamie Oliver told the 'Radio Times' magazine he didn't like chefs who went around shouting and swearing. Photo / Supplied

Jamie Oliver has criticised chefs who use foul language, despite coming under fire for swearing on-screen himself.

Oliver, 36, previously sparked viewers' complaints in the UK after swearing more than 20 times during an episode of Ministry Of Food, in which he dished out healthy cooking advice to the residents of Rotherham.

But, while not naming Gordon Ramsay, who is known for losing his temper and uttering profanities, Oliver said: "I don't like chefs that go round shouting and swearing.

"If they treated my students like that they'd get pans round their heads. You can't do it," he told the Radio Times magazine.

"Working with kids who have had a difficult time, you can't bully them, because that's all they've ever had. You've got to make it as fun as possible."

Oliver has previously been quoted as saying that he does not swear on his cookery programmes because it is "not appropriate" but that on his documentaries he is wearing his heart on his sleeve.

But after the complaints in 2009, he said: "I'll have to make an effort not to swear, or hope that the production company covers my arse and edits out all that naughty swearing."

The star also told the Radio Times that he believed chefs in the past had been given too much respect.

He said of the start of his career: "Back then, a lot of my counterparts on TV were in chef whites. We respected them way too much - the way we respected doctors or nurses.

"And that made the information (they were imparting) more exclusive."

- AAP