At the tender of just five James made his debut in the kitchen. His father ran the catering at Castle Howard and by the age of 12, the young Yorkshire lad had already cooked for the Queen Mother.

At 16 he went to Scarborough Technical College to learn his trade and it was here he shone, as Student of the Year for three years running.

Anthony Worrall Thompson spotted him during this time and brought him to London to work in the kitchens of celebrated restaurants 190 Queensgate and dell'Ugo. He then headed to France, where he spent some time working in traditional chateaux. On his return to England, he worked at luxury hotel Chewton Glen in Hampshire for 2 years.

At 21, James opened the Hotel and Bistro du Vin in Winchester as Head Chef. Mixing Modern British with Mediterranean, James' restaurant became a huge success.

In 1996, James began what has been an extensive TV career. He soon became a favourite, regularly appearing on such shows as Ready Steady Cook, Junior MasterChef and Light Lunch. After stints co-presenting Good Food Live, he hosted UKTV series Deck Dates,
Sweet , Delicious, Yorkshire's Finest and James Martin Digs Deep (Nov 06). With a long list of TV credits to his name, James has often stepped beyond the kitchens, most suprisingly perhaps, to prove his dancing prowess in Strictly Come Dancing. Now, James revisits his student days in the villages of Brittany, France, in James Martin's Brittany.

James has written for magazines and has a long bibliography to his name. Far from a one-trick pony, he was once voted one of Britain's most eligible bachelors by Company magazine!

James Martin photo gallery

Books
James Martin's Great British Dinners, Mitchell Beazley, 2002
Delicious: The Deli Cookbook, Mitchell Beazley, 2002
Eating in with James Martin, Mitchell Beazley, 2004
James Martin's Great British Winter, Mitchell Beazley, 2006
Easy British Food, Mitchell Beazley, 2006
Desserts, Quadrille Publishing Ltd, 2007
The Collection, Mitchell Beazley, 2008