Farmers Dave and Rob Nicholson appeared on ITV’s James Martin’s Saturday Morning to talk all things farming with the popular presenter
Two farmers who appeared on James Martin’s Saturday Morning have revealed what the chef is really like(Image: ITV)
Two farmers who featured on James Martin’s Saturday Morning have shared their impressions of the celebrity chef. Rob and David Nicholson from Cannon Hall Farm made their appearance on the ITV programme in 2025.
The brothers, alongside their father Roger and sibling Richard, operate the South Yorkshire farming enterprise. The venue has been showcased on programmes including Channel 5’s The Great Yorkshire Show and makes regular appearances on The Yorkshire Vet.
Rob and Dave were thoroughly impressed during their on-screen stint with James, who prepared them a paella and a skin-on chicken breast with mushrooms.
Speaking on the Cannon Hall Farm podcast, Rob quipped that James resembles a “walking advert for the dairy industry”. This observation came after Dave pointed out the generous quantities of butter the chef incorporated whilst creating his culinary offerings.
Both brothers, however, had nothing but praise for the television personality. Dave remarked: “Wasn’t he a gentleman? He gave us so much time to talk about the farm.”
The farmers described James as a “gentleman”(Image: Daily Mirror)
He continued: “He wasn’t like, ‘Anyway lads’. All the other chefs were cooking away and I thought he really, really looked after us. He gave us a cracking advert for people out there who have never been to the farm to come and have a look around one day.”
Rob described their visit to James’ Hampshire residence as a “10 out of 10 experience”. He elaborated: “From first to last, 10 out of 10. A really memorable experience, really enjoyed it.”
When comparing it to their previous television work, Dave likened the task to “picking your favourite out of your children”. The duo are now hoping James might venture north to Yorkshire to visit their farm.
Rob disclosed that the chef, who hails from North Yorkshire, was keen to pilot his aircraft to their property. He explained: “What he was on about doing is maybe flying his helicopter up and then flying across and landing in one of our fields.”
He continued: “He said, ‘Have you got a field I can land in?’ I said, ‘Well Princess Anne landed in one so I’m flipping sure you can James’.
Rob and Dave, second and third from left, appeared on Saturday Morning(Image: Daily Mirror)
“Hopefully he’s going to come and visit us and we can show him around the farm, show him around the farm shop. Obviously James is someone who really appreciates great produce so hopefully there’ll be things in our farm shop that he likes the look of and maybe we can sell him something.”
James makes his return to television from 9.30am today (February 21) with Saturday Morning on ITV One. This week’s episode will feature singer Freya Ridings alongside sports presenter Jill Douglas.
Culinary expert Sat Bains, plus Dipna and Gulu Anand, will be preparing dishes throughout the programme. James has helmed the beloved ITV show for nearly a decade, having previously hosted Saturday Kitchen on the BBC.