Campaigning Jamie is most influential foodie
Jamie Oliver has beaten the likes of Delia Smith, Fanny Cradock, Egon Ronay and Gordon Ramsay to become the world's most influential foodie, according to a poll.
The Good Food magazine survey features culinary luminaries like Nigella Lawson, Marco Pierre White, Madhur Jaffrey and Heston Blumenthal.
TV legend Delia Smith, who has sold more than 18 million copies of her recipe books and famously sparked a 10 per cent rise in egg sales with her How to Cook TV series, snapped up second place in the poll.
Egon Ronay, the Hungarian food critic acclaimed for his restaurant guides, is third.
Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay, who is launching restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and Florida after making his name in the US with Hell's Kitchen, is in fourth place.
Elizabeth David, acclaimed for bringing Mediterranean tastes and ingredients like olive oil to Britain after the Second World War, scooped fifth place.
Keith Floyd was next, followed by Raymond Blanc, Fanny Craddock, Nigella Lawson and Ken Hom in 10th place.
Others in the top 20 include Madhur Jaffrey (11), Rick Stein (12), Heston Blumenthal (14), Gary Rhodes (17), Ainsley Harriott (18), Marco Pierre White (19) and Antony Worrall Thompson (20).
Good Food magazine editor Gillian Carter said: "Jamie Oliver has really struck a chord with his campaigns to bring school dinners up to scratch and train unemployed youngsters as chefs.
"It's this work, combined with Jamie's down to earth approach to cooking that has secured him his place as world's most influential foodie."
A total of 5,437 people took part in the poll which was carried out by Good Food magazine.
Top 20
1 Jamie Oliver
2 Delia Smith
3 Egon Ronay
4 Gordon Ramsay
5 Elizabeth David
6 Keith Floyd
7 Raymond Blanc
8 Fanny Cradock
9 Nigella Lawson
10 Ken Hom
11 Madhur Jaffrey
12 Rick Stein
13 Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
14 Heston Blumenthal
15 Sir Terence Conran
16 Marguerite Patten
17 Gary Rhodes
18 Ainsley Harriott
19 Marco Pierre White
20 Antony Worrall Thompson
