Early career James Martin trained at Hostellerie De Plaisance,
Saint-Émilion, France, He then moved to the 3 Michelin Star restaurant Maison Troisgros in Roanne, France, after which he returned to the UK and spent two years as a Pastry Chef at
Chewton Glen Hotel in the South of England.
Television Martin first appeared on television in 1996, on programmes including ''James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest
(set in various Yorkshire locations with an emphasis on Yorkshire cuisine), Ready Steady Cook and The Big Breakfast''. Martin co-presented
BBC Food's
Stately Suppers with
Alistair Appleton, and then appeared on the
Channel 4 programme
Richard & Judy, where he would visit a member of the public in their own home who had been nominated to be cooked a '
comfort food' meal. From 2006 until 2016, he was the presenter of the
BBC One show
Saturday Kitchen. In September 2011, Martin was tasked with revamping the menu and catering facilities at
Scarborough General Hospital, for
Operation Hospital Food for the BBC. The show was recommissioned for a second and third series, which were shown on BBC One in 2013 and 2014 respectively. In June 2013,
The Roux Scholarship was shown on
Watch. Martin joined the judging panel, along with fellow celebrity chefs including
Rick Stein,
Raymond Blanc and
Angela Hartnett. In July 2013, Martin appeared alongside
Angela Hartnett and
Richard Corrigan on
BBC One on a special edition of
The Great British Menu entitled
The Great British Budget Menu. The show aimed to highlight food poverty and involved the chefs cooking nutritious meals on a budget. In September 2013, the programme ''James Martin's Food Map of Britain
aired on BBC Two. There were 10 episodes with each focusing on a different region of Britain. Martin investigated the produce of each area and cooked two dishes per episode. Since 2013, he has been a judge on Junior Bake Off'' on the CBBC channel. In October 2014, Martin presented a new daytime show for
BBC One called
Meet the Street, which aimed to unite communities and reduce loneliness. In 2015, he guest presented numerous episodes of
The One Show with
Alex Jones. The same year, Martin presented
The Box, a daytime cookery series for
BBC One. In 2015, while attending the
BBC Good Food Middle East Awards in Dubai, Martin witnessed the death of magazine boss
Dominic De Sousa, whom he had been speaking with just moments before the tabloid mogul stood up and suffered a fatal heart attack. This event had an effect on Martin and had a part in him later deciding to leave
Saturday Kitchen. In February and March 2016 Martin toured his first live show around the UK entitled
Plates, Mates and Automobiles.
Journalism Until 2013, Martin wrote a motoring column for UK newspaper
The Mail on Sunday. In September 2009, Martin wrote in his column that he hated cyclists, and took pleasure in scaring them by driving an electric
Tesla Roadster (2008) in a manner that startled a cycling group, forcing them off the road. Following criticism from cycling groups and professionals such as
Bradley Wiggins and
Stuart O'Grady, he apologised for the article. Complaints said that the driving was illegal and dangerous. Martin said he did not condone "any form of reckless driving", stating: "It was never my intention to offend the many cyclists who share our roads across the country. What was intended to be a humorous piece was clearly misjudged."
Restaurants Martin opened his restaurant, The Leeds Kitchen, inside the Alea Casino in
Leeds in 2011. The casino, and with it the restaurant, closed in March 2013. In 2012, he opened a restaurant inside the
Talbot Hotel, Malton, North Yorkshire. The restaurant won a Michelin star at the end of 2012. In June 2013 it was reviewed by food critic
Jay Rayner for
The Observer, who described his meal there as "three beautifully poised, close to faultless dishes". Martin left The Talbot in February 2015. In September 2013, Martin opened his restaurant James Martin Manchester, specialising in modern British cuisine. There are branches of James Martin Kitchen Bakery & Cafe located airside at
Stansted and
Glasgow airports, and at
Manchester Piccadilly Railway Station.
Cookery School Martin teaches at The Kitchen – Cookery School at Chewton Glen, a cookery school and relaxed dining restaurant in
New Milton,
Hampshire.
Wine In September 2021, Martin launched a range of premium French wines, which are produced in the village of
Névian, near
Narbonne in the
Corbières region. ==Allegations of bullying==