James Martin's quiet life in idyllic countryside retreat where homes average £408,000

British chef and TV presenter James Martin has been gracing Britons' screens for decades, presenting the popular BBC cookery series Saturday Kitchen from 2006 until 2016.

The 52-year-old began his career in Saint-Émilion, France where he trained at Hostellerie De Plaisance. He then became a Pastry Chef at Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire.

He then appeared on TV for the first time in 1996 when he presented the programme James Martin: Yorkshire's Finest, which particularly emphasised Yorkshire cuisine.

Later on, he then presented Ready Steady Cook and The Big Breakfast as well as Saturday Kitchen.

Since 2017, Martin has presented the ITV show Saturday Morning with James Martin and has appeared on several series for the network including James Martin's Great British Adventure, James Martin's Islands To Highlands and James Martin's Spanish Adventure.

Away from the screen, Martin keeps his life relatively private. At the end of last year, it is believed Martin parted ways with his long-term girlfriend Louise Davies who he dated for 12 years.

Previously, Martin was very open about his "no interest" in getting married and had never made plans to start a family.

He and Louise lived in Martin's pretty countryside home in the county of Hampshire in southern England. The property sits on 1.5 acres of land and has an incredible seven bedrooms as well as an outdoor kitchen and a greenhouse.

The TV chef actually films episodes of his Saturday morning show from his home in a kitchen which he has set up inside his garage.

His outdoor cooking area has a huge wood-burning pizza oven, a huge island and green industrial-style lamps.

The chef's green greenhouse has a special meaning. He said previously: "When I bought this house the very first thing I built was that greenhouse to remind me of my grandparents.

"My grandad was an amazing veg producer together with my uncle and that's why I fell in love with food I think. I've still got tomatoes; I grow them every year to varying degrees of success."

It's not clear exactly where the chef's home is based but it's believed to be close to his very own restaurant, The Kitchen at the famous Chewton Glen Hotel & Spa in New Milton.

Before moving to his latest property, Martin lived in a tiny hamlet just seven miles from Winchester called Stoke Charity in a seven-bedroom country mansion.

The former old dairy house was extensively redesigned and developed by the chef with the help of a renowned local architect.

The county of Hampshire has been named one of the "poshest Home counties", according to the Daily Echo, and is home to a plethora of desirable places to live.

Homes in Hampshire don't come cheap and had an overall average price of £407,741 over the last year, according to Rightmove.

The majority of sales in Hampshire during the last year were detached properties, selling for an average price of £644,153. Terraced properties sold for an average of £315,793, with flats fetching £213,259.

Overall, sold prices in Hampshire over the last year were four percent down on the previous year and three percent up on the 2021 peak of £396,784.