James Martin: 'Never forget' Saturday Morning chef addresses major 'regret' amid loss

James Martin, 48, revealed that he was picked randomly to enjoy lunch with the Queen at Buckingham Palace recently. However, the joyous occasion was tinged with sadness for the ITV chef after his beloved grandmother was not alive to witness the royal gathering.

He said of meeting the monarch: “Apparently once a month they do it. They pick random people, some in the public eye, some not.

“There was only eight of us for lunch; it was magical.

“I have total respect for the Queen and the royal family. Would you want to do it? No, would you hell. I wouldn’t want to do that in a month of Sundays. 

“The only thing I regret is that my grandmother wasn’t alive to witness it because she was a huge fan,” the chef added to Hello Magazine.

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The celebrity chef initially thought he was going to be attending a big party at the palace, before being surprised that he was sitting face to face with The Queen.

He continued: “I thought I was going over there for one of those garden parties or 300 people in a room but when I got there the corgis walked in and in came her Majesty, and sat opposite me. 

“It’s one of those pinch-yourself moments you’ll never forget for the rest of your life.”

“We chatted about dogs, about life. She’s very polite, it was great, “ James finished.

He said: “This will be unlike anything I’ve ever done before as I’ll be beamed directly into people’s homes and while they will see what I’m doing, I’ll also be speaking to some people to see how they are getting on.

“We will be cooking together throughout so I’m really looking forward to taking part in such a fun interactive class.

“This is an opportunity for anyone who enjoys cooking to work with me to whip up a delicious three-course meal, and they can then wow their family and friends afterwards with the tasty dishes we create.”

Dine In With James Martin is presented by Live Nation and Cuffe and Taylor with Limelight Celebrity Management.

Ben Hatton, Director of Theatre Touring for Cuffe and Taylor, said: “We are really excited about Dine In With James Martin.

“It is a completely new event concept for us but we believe it is one that fans and budding chefs will love.

“Many of us watch TV chefs and then try to recreate the dish but with this show you can work alongside James and then tuck into a delicious meal afterwards.”

James has been increasingly busy as of late with TV appearances and launching a new menu at his Chewton Glen restaurant post-lockdown.

source: express.co.uk