Saturday Kitchen host Matt Tebbutt is in his early 50s, but has admitted he is already admitted he is fighting ‘a losing battle’ to stay young. The dad-of-two has revealed how he is trying to combat the aging process and stay fit and healthy.

He told on Gabby Logan’s podcast The Mid-Point that is it become more of a challenge to keep up with his buoyant on-screen image. His comments follow a “relentless” 14 years at the helm of a thriving pub restaurant alongside his wife Lisa.

He said: “I fight getting old, let’s just put that out there.”

Photo of TV chef Matt Tebbutt, smiling, wearing a blue shirt with his sleeves rolled up, standing behind a wooden chopping board in this kitchen

Prompted by Gabby to elaborate on how he battles ageing, Matt replied: “Well, I’m fighting it. I mean, I’m slowly losing that battle.

“But I’m fighting it like, ‘Yeah, I want to do this. Yeah, let’s do that. Let’s go to this party and then go out afterwards and then do three days on the trot at a festival’ and things like that. And I’m realising it’s quite draining at 51!”

He said he has also made changes to his eating habits and said: “I’ve noticed I’m a carnivore. I eat quite a lot of meat, but I’ve lessened the amount I eat. I eat a lot more vegetables these days. I eat a lot earlier than I ever have done.”

He added: : “In terms of other stuff, I’m eating more pulses. If I want to go healthy as it were, I’ll reach for an Ottolenghi book [referring to chef Yotam Ottolenghi] and go into that.”

Photo of TV chef Matt Tebbutt smiling as he attends the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards 2023
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Fortnum & Mason)

Other changes have included curtailing his alcohol intake, preparing fresh meals, opting for nuts as snacks, and keeping his bread consumption in check. He also raised the benefits of exercise.

He said: “I try and be pretty consistent with the exercise routine. I’ve always loved exercise.

“I used to play as a kid. I used to play a lot of rugby. I now go to the gym for a couple of days a week and do free weights.”

Matt took joined BBC’s Saturday Kitchen following James Martin’s departure in 2016. Before his television career, Matt and his wife Lisa helmed The Foxhunter Inn in Nantyderry, south Wales, from 2001 to 2015.