UK celebrity Chef, James Martin inspires with his Indian style lamb roasted in pumpkin pickle and various other bits.  

I was sitting outside waiting for the next Chef’s demonstration at the VIP section at Taste of Dubai 2010 when a spatula in a back jeans pocket walked past me. I remember thinking “Cute butt.  I wonder, when a chef carries a spatula in his back pocket, is it like carrying a Rabbit’s Foot for good luck?”

Opportunity does not always knock twice so I shouted “Good Luck!” at the back of the head of the spatula owner. He turned around, about halfway up the stairs and with a chuckle, a lovely smile and almost disbelief in his eyes, he replied, “Thanks”.  That was James Martin.

He started his cooking demonstration by sharpening his knives which almost immediately drew the crowd and what I thought was a rather most impressive feat.  James Martin is certainly a famous chef and most definitely a man who knows how to wield a knife.

Throughout the cooking demonstration, I noticed that the women where gathered closely to the cooking counter while the men seemed to hang back a little bit.  Perhaps it was because of the big knives James was handling with such expertise or perhaps it was because this chef carries an extra-ordinary curriculum vitae.

He holds the world record for carrot chopping having peeled and chopped just over ½ kg of carrots in 1 minute.  He can boast that he has cooked for the Queen of England, he is a television star, he has his own product range, he is a published writer with many books under his name, he is a world traveller and he can dance!

But boy oh boy! All these things aside, that carrot chopping is still impressive!

A girl’s gotta eat, so I am off to the shops to find ingredients for his 'Hot Cherries In Kirsch' recipe.

Robeya Williams Walt

Dubai

© Robeya