Jamie Oliver has been accused of giving organisers of the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival “the cold shoulder”.

Organisers of the festival said they had no response from the celebrity chef despite trying to get in contact for months.

Jamie’s Italian opens to the public in Black Lion Street, Brighton on Monday.

Roger Marlowe, chairman of the festival, said: “We have been disappointed that the restaurant does not seem to want to get involved with the food festival.

“Jamie is getting the benefits of locating to Brighton but does not seem to be interested in participating in Brighton life.

“We have known for six months the restaurant would be opening and have been trying to get in contact with them.

“You can't even get in contact with him easily at all. He seems to be protected by a lot of PR people.”

Mr Marlowe said fellow celebrity chef Aldo Zilli, who last year opened Zilli’s Brasserie at the myhotel building in Jubilee Street, agreed to host a stall and cookery demonstrations during the food festival in September.

Mr Marlowe said: “If we look at last year, we got in contact with Aldo Zilli before his restaurant opened and he got involved straight away and ended up doing a lot for us.

“Jamie could have got involved in all sorts of ways. We are not asking him for any money but to participate by hosting a debate or something.

“His name is huge and would bring lots of people in. The whole idea of the food festival is promoting the great food that Brighton has to offer.”

A spokesman for Oliver said they had not heard of any approach from the food festival organisers, adding that the chef would never completely rule out taking part in the future.

The spokesman said “The simple answer is that if they would like us to get involved, come and see the restaurant manager after we’ve opened and we’ll see what we can do for them.”

Despite the apparent brush-off, Mr Marlowe welcomed Jamie's new restaurant as a fantastic asset to Brighton.

He said: “Jamie opening here is a great thing. There is a real buzz about his restaurant.”

Argus entertainment reporter Duncan Hall will be one of the first people to eat at Jamie’s Italian. Don’t miss his review in tomorrow’s Guide.

Meanwhile a full interview with Jamie Oliver will appear in our new magazine in Saturday’s Argus.

If you are lucky enough to get a booking, we want you to review the food for us. You can leave your reviews below.