TV chef James Martin paid a heartfelt tribute to baker Paul Cosgriff on his ITV programme Saturday Morning today (November 22). Martin revealed he had visited Cosgriff's York bakery, Cosgriff and Sons, incognito, queuing in the early hours to buy a loaf of its renowned sourdough bread.
Martin, who wore a hat to conceal his identity, said he enjoyed the loaf with his mother. 'I went wow, there's a reason why people are queueing up for this,' he recalled. On the show, he used the bread to make two different sandwiches, filled with crispy bacon and cheese, as a homage to the baker.
'Hopefully I've done that justice Paul,' Martin said, presenting the dish to Cosgriff, who joined via video link. 'I know how busy it is there, people queueing at half past seven. I was one of those people. I'll take my hat off next time as well. I came in incognito.'
Martin praised Cosgriff's resilience, noting he had faced tough times. 'What you're doing is amazing. I wish you all the very best of luck with it, I really do,' he said, calling it a 'privilege' to have him on the show.
Cosgriff, a former fine dining chef from Australia, explained how his bakery began after a series of personal challenges. 'I slipped over and broke my hip at work. It was all around the same time, I broke my hip, the pandemic happened and then my son was born eight weeks premature,' he said. 'After he was born we found out he had Down Syndrome and a hole in his heart as well.' He started baking bread at home and delivering it to doorsteps, and now the bakery produces 500 loaves weekly.
