Martin Blunos
Encyclopedia
Martin Lauris Blunos is a British TV chef. Blunos earned two Michelin Guide
stars for each of his two restaurants.
to England just after the World War II. Martin learned his craft through college training in Cheltenham
and Cambridge
. His cooking style is influenced by his half Russia
n half Latvia
n mother. He did a spell at the Strand Palace Hotel
in London, a season in Switzerland and went on many a cruise on a Greek tycoon's yacht before settling down in a job at Lampwick's in Battersea
, London.
, which opened 1988 with a Franco-British style of cooking with some Eastern European elements. He earned his first Michelin star there in 1992, and a second in 1994. In 1997 he moved Lettonie to larger premises in Bath where he was assisted by James Tanner
.
In 2004 Blunos took over as head chef of the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Worcestershire
, gaining it a Michelin star in 2005.
He later became executive chef at Hurst House on the Marsh, Laugharne, West Wales.
In 2010 Blunos became executive chef for Crown Hotels, owners of restaurants at Whitebrook
and Celtic Manor.
and a guest chef on Cooks. He is also associated with Great Food Live
, Food Uncut
, Saturday Kitchen
, The Supersizers Eat... and Iron Chef UK
.
His son Max is the drummer for the band Out Like A Lionhttp://www.myspace.com/outlikealion who are an up-and-coming band. They played Glastonbury 2010 for BBC introducing http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/21c06fea-33f2-49fd-82b2-c3f1903d29d8#p00db212; supported Florence and the Machines, The Temper Trap and Example; and been selected for Radio One playlist by Chris Moyles. Martin is also a lifelong Bristol City F.C.
fan.
Michelin Guide
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
stars for each of his two restaurants.
Early life
His parents came from LatviaLatvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
to England just after the World War II. Martin learned his craft through college training in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. His cooking style is influenced by his half Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n half Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n mother. He did a spell at the Strand Palace Hotel
Strand Palace Hotel
The Strand Palace Hotel is a large hotel on the north side of the Strand, London, England, positioned between Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and the River Thames. It was built after Exeter Hall was demolished in 1907...
in London, a season in Switzerland and went on many a cruise on a Greek tycoon's yacht before settling down in a job at Lampwick's in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, London.
Restaurants
Blunos's first restaurant as chef and owner was Lettonie (French for Latvia) in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, which opened 1988 with a Franco-British style of cooking with some Eastern European elements. He earned his first Michelin star there in 1992, and a second in 1994. In 1997 he moved Lettonie to larger premises in Bath where he was assisted by James Tanner
James Tanner
James Tanner is a British chef and television personality. He currently appears on the BBC cookery programme Ready Steady Cook.-Early life:...
.
In 2004 Blunos took over as head chef of the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway, Worcestershire
Broadway is a village and civil parish in the Worcestershire part of the Cotswolds in England.Often referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds", Broadway village lies beneath Fish Hill on the western Cotswold escarpment...
, gaining it a Michelin star in 2005.
He later became executive chef at Hurst House on the Marsh, Laugharne, West Wales.
In 2010 Blunos became executive chef for Crown Hotels, owners of restaurants at Whitebrook
Whitebrook
Whitebrook is a small village in Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, United Kingdom. It is located four miles south east of Monmouth in the Wye Valley.- History and amenities :...
and Celtic Manor.
Television career
Blunos now concentrates on consultancy and television work. He is a regular contributing chef on Food PokerFood Poker
Food Poker is a BBC tea-time television programme which fuses traditional culinary skills with poker. It is presented by Matt Allwright and each episode features four chefs.-Format:...
and a guest chef on Cooks. He is also associated with Great Food Live
Great Food Live
Great Food Live, formerly Good Food Live, was a British magazine programme hosted by Jeni Barnett and broadcast on UKTVFood part of the UKTV Network between 2001 and 2007. Jeni Barnett was joined every day by a chef co-host...
, Food Uncut
Food Uncut
Food Uncut is a programme being shown on UKTV Food and was presented by Merrilees Parker, Stefan Gates and Jean-Christophe Novelli....
, Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen
Saturday Kitchen Live is a 90 minute cookery programme, which is broadcast live on BBC One on Saturday mornings. It is currently presented by James Martin; previous presenters have included Antony Worrall Thompson and Gregg Wallace. The programme is currently produced by Cactus TV...
, The Supersizers Eat... and Iron Chef UK
Iron Chef UK
Iron Chef UK was a British competition-based cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef and Food Network's Iron Chef America. It was produced by IWC Media and broadcasted on Channel 4.-Summary:...
.
Personal life
Blunos lives in Bath with his wife Sian, his two sons Leon and Max and his daughter Coco.His son Max is the drummer for the band Out Like A Lionhttp://www.myspace.com/outlikealion who are an up-and-coming band. They played Glastonbury 2010 for BBC introducing http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/21c06fea-33f2-49fd-82b2-c3f1903d29d8#p00db212; supported Florence and the Machines, The Temper Trap and Example; and been selected for Radio One playlist by Chris Moyles. Martin is also a lifelong Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
fan.
Sources
- Martin Blunos, Esq, Debrett's People of Today
- Martin Blunos, BBC Food
- Martin Blunos, Celebrity Chefs UK
- Martin Blunos, Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- http://www.hurst-house.co.uk, Hurst House on the Marsh, Laugharne, West Wales