Saturday Kitchen's Matt Tebbutt made tough decision with wife after 'relentless' ordeal
Saturday Kitchen star Matt Tebbutt has revealed the tough decision he and his wife made to give up one of their passions after it became too "relentless".
The BBC TV chef and wife Lisa ran the Foxhunter Inn in Monmouthshire, Wales, for 14 years. At the same time Matt was doing a lot of TV work and eventually the couple were forced to give up the pub after getting burned out.
He told the Western Mail: "It was a very different sort of relentless business. We didn't take a break.
"I was juggling TV and the restaurant for quite some time, and then reached the point where I didn't think it was sustainable. I was knackered.
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Matt and his wife were forced to make a tough decision (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Fortnum & Mason)Matt, who has been married to Lisa for 25 years and has two kids with her, said a lot of the recipes in his new cook book, Pub Food, were influenced by the local produce of Monmouthshire and what they used to serve on the pub's menu.
But he admits he is quite bleak about the prospects of local pubs in the UK with a lot of businesses having a "really s*** time" at the moment.
The 50-year-old added: "They are struggling, the prices are going through the roof, energy costs, food costs, staffing.
"It's all hindering the growth - they're shutting by stupid numbers per week. It's something worth trying to save.
"People need to remember that they're not always going to be there. And if you've got a good one then go and support it. They are one of the last great melting pots in life."
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The TV chef also told how hanging out in pubs keeps him grounded because "nobody gives a monkeys" if you're famous or not.
He said: "I will disappear on a Friday and go and do Saturday Kitchen. And then I'll meet some quite famous faces sometimes, get back to the pub (near his home in Monmouthshire) and nobody gives a monkeys.
"You can be in the same place with very wealthy people and farmers, and the guy who empties the bins, all on the same level, and you're having a chat - there's very few places you can do that anymore.
"Then if you throw good beer and conversation in the mix, and good food, I think they're special places."
Matt Tebbutt appears on Saturday Kitchen this morning (September 21) at 10.30am on BBC One. He will be joined by chefs Nadiya Hussain and Sophie Wyburd, along with Pointless presenter and author Richard Osman.
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