"There was this big name chef, who sadly is still alive today, he was a vile monster and he was berating his kitchen"

Is Matt Tebbutt a qualified chef?

Before he launched his TV career, Matt started out working as a chef and gained a diploma at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London.

Matt went on to work for some of London’s most prestigious restaurants, including Marco Pierre White at the Oak Room and Criterion, and Alastair Little who he cites as the greatest influence on his cuisine.

When asked about his chef credentials and whether or not he was a qualified chef, Matt laughed and said: "F**k you all! Yes, he absolutely is. I think the trouble is, when you appear in blue shirts and jeans on a Saturday morning people forget. A lot of guests don't realise, I don't care, it's part of the job but sometimes it gets forgotten about but that's what you get from messing around on a Saturday mormimg in jeans and shirts, and not whites."

As a professional chef and restauranteur, Matt ran The Foxhunter restaurant in Nantyderry near Usk in South Wales for over 10 years, which won an array of awards including the AA Restaurant of the Year for Wales.

how long has matt tebbutt been married?

Matt is married to his wife Lisa, with the pair having tied he knot 23 years ago. They have 2 children and live in Wales. He said they met because he dated her sister first!

what surgery did Matt Tebbutt have?

In January 2022, Matt made headlines after he was rushed to hospital for an emergency appendectomy, where he later thanked NHS staff for keeping him safe and well.

Describing the build-up before his injury, Matt said: "I presumed it was something I had eaten, so I just kind of pushed through that, and then that was quite painful on the Friday and Saturday, which was the same and I thought 'Oh, this is not going but just carried on.' Saturday lunch, I went for a massive Chinese with Freddie Bird and Shivi from the show. We went for a huge Chinese, we went back to Shiv's house, we got absolutely spangled and then on Sunday I woke up with a horrible hangover but obviously I still had the stomach ache."

To the displeasure of co-host Anna, Matt added: "I drove myself in at about five o'clock and then sat there till seven o'clock the next day when it burst and then I was rushed to theatre. It was just a stomach ache that was all it was really. It wasn't anything more than that until it wasn't, and you can feel it go pop inside you."

VEGETARIANISM AND CONSCIOUS CHOICES AROUND MEAT

When asked, is Matt Tebbutt a vegetarian? Matt revealed he is not a vegetarian but is “veggie curious.”

Discussing his thoughts on vegetarianism, Matt explained he was a fan and would choose quality produce, replacing vegetarian dishes for mass produces meats.

Matt said: “I could go vegetarian, not easily because I'd miss wobbly pork belly and Chinese hot pots and things like that, but I am eating more vegetarian food for sure. And I'd love to be in a place where you could just eat great quality meat rather than chicken wings in a really dirty chicken wing shop or something like that, and they're pretty bog standard.”

He added: “I'd love to get to a place where you just eat great chicken wings or great pork belly in Chinese restaurants, or great beef. And, if it was just mass-produced stuff, I'd try just to avoid that in favour of vegetarian food.”

Agreeing with Matt’s philosophy, Anna explained: “I eat lots of vegetables. I think loads of vegetarian dishes now are really innovative. People try to kind of give you more balance in your dish, where if they have a piece of protein, sometimes they'll just cook a piece of protein and there won't be as much love put into it."

Anna added: “If an animal has to die, whoever gets their hands on that ingredient they should really show it the respect it deserves.”

WORKING ON SATURDAY KITCHEN

During the podcast Matt was asked by Kray Treadwell, Chef Owner of 670 Grams in Birmingham, why is it always the same chefs on Saturday Kitchen.

Explaining how the show allocates slots to chefs on the programme, Matt said: “It’s not a bad question, actually. There's a pool of chefs that the show uses, they are introducing new people all the time. There are people who come on, and I personally think they're great.”

He added: “There's always room for new people, it’s the fact that there are only so many slots a year and if you're getting three slots a year, you're doing really well. Those slots will be reserved for people like Theo (Randall) and Marcus Wareing and Jason Atherton.”

“It's not up to me. I meet so many great chefs and I've got friends I'd love to have on and I just can't get them on. So yes, there appears to be the same people but there's actually quite a big pool of people.”

BEST AND WORST RESTAURANT EXPERIENCES

During the podcast, Anna and Matt discussed the best and worst restaurant experiences they’ve had recently and what a good restaurant represents to them.

Discussing her view on eating out, Anna revealed: "I don't mind paying for restaurants at all but what I hate is when you think you're getting something that will be middle of the road and then you're like, holy moly that is like seriously punchy, expensive. Cooking good food, I don't think is enough anymore. Good food isn't enough. You need to have a whole package because there's too many good restaurants out there."

Revealing her favourite meal out recently Anna said: "I went to a restaurant called Library Street by Kevin Burke, he trained over here in London at Ninth with Jun Tanaka and it was phenomenal. It was tiny little restaurant, deliciously balanced menu, really friendly staff, nice sized wine list, but it all just clicked into place and made sense, and you feel the personality of the people who are driving the ship and I think that's what makes a good experience."

Discussing his worst restaurant experience, Matt revealed: “I remember sitting in this restaurant and there was this big name chef, who sadly is still alive today, he was a vile monster and he was berating his kitchen, effing and blinding and in your face because the kitchen was open and we were looking at this and I was thinking 'I don't want to eat this food', and that really stayed with me.”