The Great British Sewing Bee judge Esme Young has opened up about a health scare she experienced, though details remain private. In a recent interview, the 74-year-old fashion designer spoke about her love for simple pleasures like Mini Cheddars in the green room, which she has requested since joining the show.
Young, who has been a judge on the BBC series since 2013, shared that she keeps her demands modest. 'I don't make demands at all,' she said. 'Without that lot – the crew, the producers – there wouldn't be Sewing Bee. I really feel it's a gang; we're all friends.'
The designer also discussed her passion for cooking, inspired by her mother's collection of first-edition Elizabeth David cookbooks from the 1950s. She makes Christmas cakes annually for family and friends, using apricot jam, marzipan, and lemon-infused icing sugar.
Young lives in a small flat she has owned since 1982, where she enjoys entertaining up to eight guests. She also loves Greek food and has been visiting the island of Sifnos since 1985, where she picks fresh produce from gardens.
Her favourite meal is risotto cooked on a portable barbecue at her beach hut, a tradition she shared with final-year students at Saint Martin's School of Art. Young celebrated her 70th birthday in 2019 at the Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent.
The Sewing Bee judge remains close to the show's team but maintains separation from contestants to avoid bias. 'I sometimes get asked if we choose the contestants, but we can't: otherwise, we could get biased because of their personalities,' she explained.
