‘Gutted’ - James Martin and Galton Blackiston pull out of Yorkshire food festival

Popular chefs James Martin and Galton Blackiston have both withdrawn from their scheduled appearance at a Yorkshire food festival later this month.

Both James and Galton released similar statements via social media on Wednesday, July 2, to say they would no longer be at the Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival, which is due to take place in Skipton from July 18-20.

They said: “Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside of my control, I will no longer be appearing at the Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival.

“Please contact the organisers if you have any questions.”

Disco show performers Brutus Gold’s Love Train also yesterday confirmed they will no longer be part of the festival weekend.

In response to the raft of withdrawals, the festival released a statement via Facebook, which began: "We’re gutted to have lost James and Galton but we respect their decisions, and wish them well."

Jon Arrowsmith, managing director of Cocker Hoop Creative, who organise the event, gave an update via a video message.

He said: “We are steadying the ship. Yes, we’ve not had a great day.

“We’ve lost James Martin, who we were looking forward to coming along. We tried to reach a compromise, we couldn’t, so unfortunately he’s made the decision. We can’t change that.

“Galton cancelling, we didn’t even know about.”

He added: “We’ve got a weekend packed full of entertainment, activity, cookery demonstrations, cookery schools, masterclasses, 250-odd traders, Aireville Park is going to be packed from 10 o’clock in the morning until 10.30 at night.

“I know it’s not been a great day and we are trying our best. When we took this festival on, we knew there were going to be challenges and lots of things coming against us.

“We didn’t realise how much was going to come against us, but as a team, we’re working with the council and all the local businesses working together, we’re going to get this right and give you a weekend you’re going to love.

“We’ll update you with the new chefs that are coming along.

“Please stick with us. Please bear with us and let’s everybody just try and be nice for a change.”

the show must go on

Celebrity chefs Rosemary Shrager and Simon Rimmer are still currently listed as being part of the festival with live demos.

James Martin is a renowned British chef, television presenter, and cookbook author, best known for his down-to-earth style and passion for British cuisine.

Born Yorkshire, James trained at Scarborough Technical College before launching his culinary career in top kitchens, including Chewton Glen and Alain Roux’s Waterside Inn.

He rose to national fame as the host of BBC’s ‘Saturday Kitchen’ from 2006 to 2016. He later launched ‘James Martin's Saturday Morning’ on ITV, continuing to share his recipes and culinary insights with a wide audience.

Beyond TV, James is a successful restaurateur, with ventures including James Martin Manchester and restaurants in London and beyond. He has published more than 20 cookbooks.

Galton has held a Michelin star at his Morston Hall restaurant in Norfolk for over 25 years.

He has appeared on TV shows such as Saturday Kitchen and also as a contestant on BBC’s Great British Menu.

Galton was part of the TSC Live demo stage at UCFF in 2024.

The Staff Canteen has contacted both James and Galton for further comment.