Jamie Oliver's empire of cookery programmes, best-selling books and advertising deals has made him one of the UK's most successful entrepreneurs.

The cheeky chef's company Sweet as Candy (Holdings) earned £7.17m in pre-tax profit in 2004. Sweet as Candy does not include Oliver's restaurant charity Fifteen.

Oliver and his wife, Jools, received a £1.4m dividend pay-out, compared with £450,000 in 2003. They also received nearly £500,000 in salaries and pension contributions.

Oliver's company also took out a £3.5m long-term bank loan, but his earnings are expected to outpace debts in 2005 after the success of his Jamie's School Dinners programme, which championed healthy meals in schools.