James Martin Biography
By Katherine Hall
James Martin was born in Malton, North Yorkshire on 30 June 1972. His father was the Catering Manager of the stately home Castle Howard, one of the grandest estates in Britain, and the family lived on a farm nearby. In such a countrified environment, it wasn’t surprising when little James developed a passion for gardening and cooking. He worked in the estate’s kitchens from the age of 10 and, by the age of 12, he was good enough to cook for the Queen Mother when she popped into Castle Howard for a visit.
Following on from this early culinary success, James won the Yorkshire Coast College Student of the Year award for three years running. After leaving college, he headed off to work in London and Europe, and then accepted a job in the luxurious Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire. In 1993, he opened the Hotel du Vin and Bistro in Winchester. The restaurant was a great success, due in no small part to Head Chef James changing the menu every day.
In 1996, he hit the U.K.’s TV screens. He took to the road in James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest, when he embarked on a culinary tour of Yorkshire in a trusty Range Rover which also housed a kitchen! But he really caught the public’s attention as of the regular chefs on Ready, Steady, Cook, rustling up gorgeous grub on a budget under the watchful eye of host Fern Britton.
As well having a passion for cooking, James loves performance cars. He writes a motoring column for the Live magazine in U.K. newspaper The Mail on Sunday, and last year, he entered the famous Mille Miglia road race, driving his own vintage Maserati. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it all the way from Brescia to Rome and back - he had to pull out of the race after his car’s valves failed.
James is relentlessly ambitious, and has admitted to being a workaholic. He had his future planned out when he was a child, and insisted that he’d be a head chef by the age of 30, run his own restaurant by the age of 35 and sit behind the wheel of his own Ferrari by the age of 40. He’d achieved all three by time he hit his 20s...
James's inside leg measurement is thirty seven inches, and he has size twelve feet and is over six feet tall. He has also has appeared naked in a photo shoot for the magazine Cosmopolitan, in order to promote and support cancer charities.
In 2005, he competed against fellow chef and Yorkshireman Brian Turner in a Ready Steady Cook Children in Need Special. After peeling and chopping 515g of carrots in one minute, he snatched the world record for carrot chopping, earning a place in the Guinness World Records book.
As well as enjoying a good chop-up, James is a big fan of puddings. In 2007, he starred in the BBC series Sweet Baby James. In the sweet-focused programme, he toured places from his culinary past that have provided inspiration for his dessert, cake and pudding recipes. He also wrote the book James Martin - Desserts.
He paired up with pro dance partner Camilla Dallerup for series three of Strictly Come Dancing in 2005. Despite a rigorous training schedule, which saw his weight drop by three stone and his waist measurement shrink from 38 inches to 32, the duo missed out on a top three finish, coming in in fourth place.
He has a Clumber Spaniel called Fudge, and loves Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Thai food, chocolate and Riggwelter beer, made by the Blacksheep Brewery in Yorkshire. He hates mayonnaise.