IT is official – Jamie Oliver has arrived in Winchester.

The celebrity chef rolled into England’s historic capital to launch his latest restaurant venture, Union Jacks.

Two branches of the new chain have opened in London within the past six months.

The third, in Winchester, will be the first outside the capital and he came to check on the progress on Tuesday (May 15).

Having taken over the former Pizza Hut outlet in High Street, the completely redecorated venue will ironically specialise in...pizzas.

Or to give them their exact name, flatbreads, with some unusual new toppings including pork and crackling with apple.

The restaurant has already hired about 35 people, with more to follow, and the celebrity chef took time to meet the new team.

Afterwards, he told the Chronicle: “The people you hire are critical to the hilt and most of them are from Winchester or just outside the city.

“I think it’s important for people to hear the local accents in a restaurant, and they have more know-how about the place.”

As for why he chose Winchester, he said it was not because other chefs like Raymond Blanc and James Martin were already established in the city.

Instead, he said he wanted somewhere that reminded him of the places where he grew up, which includes the area around Cambridge.

He added: “We were looking for a university city and also a market town, and this feels right.

“This is also different to London and until people elsewhere start to dig what you’re doing then you haven’t really succeeded.”

He also said he had been “110 per cent” involved in the new restaurant, right down to the font on the menus.

He added: “If what we’re doing is okay or it’s good then we’ve failed, because we want to give you the best pizzas you’ve ever had.”

The man he has teamed up with the produce the flatbreads is Chris Bianco. Originally from New York, he won several awards for his pizzas while based in Phoenix, before being tempted across the pond.

He said: “What we want to do is to make the menu accessible. If it’s elitist and people can’t afford to eat it, then there’s no point.”

He added that, where possible, they would be using local produce, including wines and beers.

Union Jacks will open on Monday, May 28, following a couple of ‘practice’ evenings for the new staff before then.