Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt has spoken out about the long-standing rumours of rivalries between himself and fellow chefs James Martin and Marcus Wareing.
The 51-year-old presenter insists the food industry is “too small” for genuine feuds, addressing years of speculation about tension between the TV chefs.
Since taking over Saturday Kitchen in 2017, Tebbutt has often been compared to Martin, who left the BBC show to host James Martin’s Saturday Morning on ITV.
“There are very few people who are actual rivals,” Tebbutt explained to Hello! Magazine, setting the record straight on the supposed conflicts.
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Despite hosting competing Saturday morning programmes, Tebbutt maintains there is no bad blood between him and Martin.
“Not really, no, we do sort of similar shows on different channels,” he said.
The Saturday Kitchen host revealed he knows Martin well through their work together at food festivals.
“He’s got his audience and I’ve got mine, sometimes they cross over but it all seems to flow quite nicely,” Tebbutt explained.
The chef emphasised that competition in the food industry isn’t something he takes seriously.
Tebbutt also addressed recent speculation about tension with MasterChef: The Professionals judge Marcus Wareing, following their playful exchanges on Saturday Kitchen.
Viewers had taken to social media to question whether the chefs disliked each other after witnessing their on-screen banter.
“Do Marcus and Matt (secretly) really hate each other?” one poster questioned.
Another observed: “I get the impression Matt is struggling not being the Big Dog on the show this week.”
“People make comments about each other, it’s sort of just gentle ribbing I guess, but no, on the whole, everyone gets on well.” Tebbutt clarified.
He revealed that much of their friendly banter centres around Wareing’s property.
“I always make some comment about [Marcus’] smallholding, which is hardly a smallholding – he has a beautiful place in the countryside,” he added.
