Saturday Kitchen presenter Matt Tebbutt has been at the helm of the BBC cookery show for almost a decade
Matt Tebbutt has been at the helm of the BBC cookery show for almost a decade (Image: BBC)
Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt has revealed a major confession nearly a decade after succeeding James Martin as the face of the BBC cookery programme.
The presenter, 52, had been a frequent guest and stand-in host before securing the permanent role in March 2017.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk at Jeremy Clarkson‘s FarmFest during the May Bank Holiday weekend, he confessed he now finally considers himself a TV chef.
“I think it is fair to say now I am probably a TV chef. I originally started as a working chef doing all the hours for 14 years. That’s a tough game. TV cookery isn’t.
“It comes with other pressures. There are time pressures. Conformity. I mean I’ve always been a chef but I think now it’s veered into ‘TV chef’,” he acknowledged. Discussing his position on the long-standing cookery programme.
He explained, “My job is to make food and cooking look really accessible. We have our guest chef’s on and they’re the kind of the aspirational ones.
“My job is to do those dishes that people will look at and go ‘I could get out of bed now and go to the supermarket and buy those ingredients and make that’.”
“Whether they do or not I don’t know but it is there for them,” he chuckled.
One philosophy Matt is particularly passionate about is the “farm to fork” approach, which was amongst the key reasons he was supporting Farm Fest.
He made an appearance at the festival on Sunday, 24 May, where he delivered a cookery demonstration, gave a talk and even took on the role of judge at the dog show, despite confessing he keeps two cats at home, reports the Express.
“It’s absolutely [great] to be able to support British farmers at a time when the government isn’t and to highlight [what they go through],” he said shortly after his arrival.
“I mean, you see it around you,” he added, gesturing towards the nearby stalls.
“People who are committed to supporting farming and where the food comes from. It’s marvellous. So if I can show support, I will.
“I live in a rural part of Wales, so you see it on a daily basis. You are in pubs with farmers chatting to them, and you know the sort of problems that they are trying to overcome right now, so it is great to support this.”
Saturday Kitchen airs at 9am every Saturday on BBC One and iPlayer