words Al Woods
Jaguar Land Rover have partnered up with chef, Jamie Oliver, to design and create a fully functioning kitchen inside an SUV.
The Land Rover Discovery Kitchen is a truly bespoke model that highlights complete versatility of the Land Rover Discovery. Jamie Oliver worked alongside Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team to bring his vision of a kitchen on wheels to life – and they did it with style and innovation.
Oliver had a big list of must-haves that he handed over to Land Rover – Lisa Tookey, chief revenue officer and head of commercial partnerships at Jamie Oliver Ltd, said: “Jamie is probably the most creative person I’ve ever met – he has a constant pipeline of brilliant ideas. Some of them are bonkers. If you let him run wild, this is what the outcome is.”
She added: “We always want to deliver the unexpected and believe that this partnership does just that whilst showcasing the future of food, technology and family life on the go.”
The Land Rover Discovery features a fully integrated kitchen, utilising every bit of space and technology available. Whilst Land Rover already have a reputation for integrating only the most state-of-the-art technology, this model features some of the best culinary gadgets. The centre console, usually home to the instrument panel, features a fully functioning two slice toaster, whilst the engine bay is home to a 4.7 litre slow cooker and the boot stores the fully equipped fold and slide out kitchen worktop with two gas hobs, a sink and a veneered finished surface. The worktop area is also fitted with an integrated slide out 40” flat screen TV with connectivity, and can be turned into a dining table to eat at.
Both rear windows have been custom built with external access to the model’s very own herb garden on the right and 11-piece spice rack on the left. The herb garden can accommodate up to 8 living plants. The real first for anything in the motor industry was to develop technology that churned butter whilst you drove the vehicle – the Discovery is fitted with three 5 litre butter churners mounted onto the wheels.
David Fairbairn, head of bespoke at SVO, commented: “As a team, we never imagined we would be asked to produce wheels that churn butter so it has been great fun working alongside Jamie to bring his vision to life. He really wanted to push the boundaries of what was possible with this versatile vehicle and the team fully embraced the challenge.”
And, of course, it wouldn’t truly be a fully functioning kitchen on wheels without a dual folding BBQ mounted onto a metal table with grill rack and rotisserie that is powered by the Land Rover engine. With this model, Jamie Oliver and the Land Rover SVO team have completely broken the boundaries of family life on the go with the Land Rover Discovery Kitchen. The project demonstrated the extent of JLR’s specialist bespoke modifications. Land Rover said: “All of the modifications are fully functional, meaning that Jamie and his family can cook a meal from scratch using the Discovery.”
Jamie Oliver was impressed by the bespoke 4X4 kitchen on wheels too, commenting: “I gave Land Rover a massive challenge to create the ultimate kitchen on wheels. I dreamt big and asked for a lot…
“I didn’t think they’d actually be able to put a slow-cooker next to the engine and an olive oil dispenser in the boot, but they did. The result is an amazing Discovery, tailored perfectly for me and the family – we love it. This unique creation means we can take our culinary adventures to the next level.”
This is just an example of how vehicles can be modified to the requirements of customers. Although the Discovery Kitchen is designed as a one-off, it proves that specialist modifications are almost limitless today. The automotive industry is progressively introducing new innovative technologies to enhance the driving experience and make life easier. Jamie Oliver’s vision to prove that family life and food on the go is possible has been realised, and simply on the horizon in the future. From Jaguar Land Rover’s perspective, the project was an opportunity to demonstrate the talent and bespoke nature of its SVO team to a mass audience.
