From North Yorkshire, James Martin was born in 1972 and grew up on a farm and has said his love of cookery came from helping his mum in the kitchen as a child. According to an article the chef wrote for The Daily Mail, he was washing dishes in the kitchens of Castle Howard by age eight. Pursuing more formal training, James went on to do a stage at Hostellerie De Plaisance in Saint-Émilion, which is in the south west of France. Following his initial work experience James then went on to spend two years as a pastry chef at five star hotel, Chewton Glen on the south coast of England. During his early years James Martin also worked for high profile chefs like Antony Worrall Thompson and Marco Pierre White.
Since 1996 James Martin has been on our television screens, presenting a whole host of cookery shows. He started off with his own programme called James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest, where he explored the culinary highlights of his home county. At this time he also appeared on the original Ready, Steady, Cook and The Big Breakfast.
Perhaps the chef’s most well-known role was his time on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, which he presented from 2006 – 2016. After a rumoured falling out on the show James moved on, and has since been working with ITV for their show Saturday Morning with James Martin.
Aside from his appearances on TV, James Martin is also a keen journalist and has written for The Mail on Sunday (interestingly, a column on motoring, not food) among other titles. He has also taught at The Kitchen Cookery School at Chewton Glen.
James Martin’s restaurants have been many over the years. He started out with The Leeds Kitchen in 2011, which was found inside a casino. Unfortunately, the casino closed two years later, and with it James Martin’s restaurant. In 2012 James Martin opened another restaurant in The Talbot Hotel in Yorkshire, which achieved a Michelin star two years before the chef left the venture in 2015. Another restaurant to have his name over the door is James Martin Manchester, and the chef also owns four branches of his bakery brand, James Martin Kitchen.
In James Martin’s personal life, he holds a private pilot license and is the proud owner of two dogs called Cooper and Ralph. James martin is in a long-term relationship with Louise Davies, who he has been with since 2011 when they met on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, where Louise was working as a producer.
Holding an honouree professorship at the University of West London, James Martin holds a clutch of awards. These also include being named ‘TV Personality of the Year” by Fortnum and Mason in 2015.