All of our rates include breakfast, complimentary Car parking <strong>and</strong> complimentary WI-FI. HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS BRIDGWATER Market Way, Bridgwater, TA6 6DF, UK E: reservations@hiexbridgwater.co.uk T: 01278558250 holidayinnexpress.com
COOK, SLEEP, ROCK, REPEAT Katie Thomson caught up with chef James Martin ahead of his summer festival circuit <strong>and</strong> discussed stellar culinary talents, his new book <strong>and</strong> finding time to rock out... Katie: We must talk about Pub in the Park – we spoke with Tom Kerridge a couple of years back, just as he was exp<strong>and</strong>ing the event out of Marlow to include Bath <strong>and</strong> a couple of other areas. In the past few years its really become huge, attracting so much talent from the food industry but also the music industry so it must be quite exciting to be involved? James: He has roped me into it! He roped me into it last year as he had managed to double book himself! So now he wants me to do it again! He’s probably off on holiday! But it’s good fun, <strong>and</strong> anybody who’s been there will know that its unique <strong>and</strong> there’s nothing else like it. So you’ll be hosting the Tunbridge Wells <strong>and</strong> Chichester events? Yeah that’s right, <strong>and</strong> I’ll be appearing at the Bath one, Tom is hosting that one but I’ll be there doing some demonstrations <strong>and</strong> other bits <strong>and</strong> pieces. It’s a great lineup of people that he’s got <strong>and</strong> I’m very pleased to play my part. I think it’s really nice that you try to reflect the local restaurants in each individual area plus there’s some serious culinary talent from the country as a whole. Well the thing about the chefs is you get the great <strong>and</strong> the good from all over the place. So for example with Bath, you’ve got Paul Ainsworth coming up from Cornwall, Atul Kochhar from London, Steven Terry from Wales, Angela Hartley from London…we’ve got people from all over the place! It’s the same with music; there’s something for everybody. Who are you looking forward to seeing if you can steal a little time away to enjoy it? I’m a wannabe musician, I’ve got a little b<strong>and</strong> so I’m looking forward to seeing a few of them. I listened to Toploader when I was training as a kid working in kitchens, so I’m looking forward to seeing them. Beverley Knight I’ve known for quite a while so it will be nice to say hi to her <strong>and</strong> James Blunt is playing as well! So I’m looking forward to chilling out <strong>and</strong> fundamentally seeing my mates! All these chefs I speak to on the phone quite a lot but I only really ever see them at these festivals so three in a year is great for me. How does the cookery stage in the festival setting compare to live TV? I can image you are quite unflappable. Well you’ve got a bit more to h<strong>and</strong> at my place when we film at the house, <strong>and</strong> I know where everything is. But they build an amazing marquee where we do the demos, that almost looks like something from outer space. You never know with the weather, we might get wet, so the marquee is amazing. But the same team that work on my show work on Pub in the Park, so the industry is big but that group is quite small. I’ve known the guys that organise Pub in the Park from the twelve years of doing Carfest. So you are an old h<strong>and</strong> on the festival circuit then? I’ve been around it a long time! I do certain food festivals, the biggest one of its kind is in Bolton <strong>and</strong> had 400,000 people last year, <strong>and</strong> I usually do that after Carfest <strong>South</strong>. I’m Hampshirebased, so sort of in between the two from Bath to Chichester area. I’m looking forward to Chichester because I spend a bit of time at Goodwood - so I know <strong>and</strong> love the area. Tunbridge Wells I’m interested in going to see because I’ve not really been there a lot, <strong>and</strong> I love going to Bath because there’s a great guitar shop there that always gets a visit! Your show Saturday Morning always looks like a lot of fun to film, <strong>and</strong> in particular you <strong>and</strong> Galton seem to have a really great relationship. The great thing about the show is the chefs that come on I’ve known for years – 33