Rimmer originally studied fashion and textile design, and later taught himself to cook. In 1990, he bought
Greens, a vegetarian restaurant in
West Didsbury. It closed in 2024. He opened his second restaurant, Earle, in
Hale in October 2006, though this was sold to a local restaurateur in 2016. In 2013, Rimmer served as a judge for British Sausage Week, helping to choose the winners and promote the event. Rimmer's television career began with
Granada Breeze before appearing regularly on programmes including
This Morning,
The One Show,
The Gadget Show and
Pointless Celebrities. He has presented
Making a Meal of It for BBC Two,
Win It, Cook It,
Tricks of the Restaurant Trade,
Eat the Week with Iceland and
Secrets of Our Favourite Snacks for Channel 4 and
Breaking Into Tesco for Channel 5. Rimmer is best known for his work alongside
Tim Lovejoy presenting
Something for the Weekend on BBC Two between 2006 and 2012 and
Sunday Brunch, a show with a similar format on Channel 4. Rimmer has also appeared as a contestant on various TV shows. In 2006, he pitted his cooking talents against other skilled chefs on the first series of
Great British Menu; losing in the North of England heat to
Marcus Wareing. In 2008, he appeared on
Celebrity Mastermind, choosing 'The History of
Tranmere Rovers' as a specialist subject. In August 2017, it was confirmed that Rimmer would take part in the
fifteenth series of
Strictly Come Dancing, partnered with
Karen Clifton. The pair were eliminated in week six. Rimmer's first book,
The Accidental Vegetarian, was published in October 2004. His second book,
Rebel Cook, was published in October 2006. His third book
Lazy Brunch came out in 2008, co-written with Lovejoy and based on a feature in
Something from the Weekend. In 2009, Rimmer published his fourth book,
The Seasoned Vegetarian. Simon started to present a show on
Gold Radio(British Radio Station) Saturday mornings 9-12pm in January 2025 ==Personal life==