James Martin left touched by 'amazing' gesture on ITV cooking show

ITV broadcast a heartfelt tribute to celebrity chef James Martin during the most recent episode of his weekend cookery programme.

James Martin's Saturday Morning made its return on Valentine's Day (February 14), with the presenter hosting former Wet Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow and sauce expert Levi Roots at his Hampshire residence.

Early in the programme, James travelled to Jura, France, to meet cheese specialist Jean-Charles Arnaud. Before the segment began, he told audiences: "Just enjoy this. This is pretty special."

The feature saw him visit an historic French fortress that now houses more than 100,000 wheels of Comté cheese. There, he joined the cheese authority who guided him through the storage areas deep inside the fort.

"In over 50,000 metres of vaulted rooms more than 100,000 rounds of glorious Comté cheese are aged and refined," James narrated in his voiceover, before clips showed him entering the facility alongside Jean-Charles, 

"This is just about the best place I've ever been to," James remarked, clearly impressed by the towering racks filled with cheese. "These caves are incredible."

Jean-Charles revealed that the cheeses mature for at least 12 months, and tapping them serves as an indicator of how the ageing process is progressing. He showed James this technique, who looked on in fascination as each cheese wheel produced a distinct sound when struck with a small hammer.

He spotted a "good one", which was brought out for closer examination and a tasting. The 40kg cheese had already been matured for one year. Upon sampling it, James exclaimed: "It's fantastic," and broke into laughter.

Evidently touched by his passion for the product, Jean-Charles then etched James' name into the rim of the wheel, preparing it for collection in another year's time in a heartfelt gesture.

Visibly moved by the act, James enquired: "That's my cheese?" He swiftly quipped: "Problem is I've got to find it - thank you very much. I'm coming back for that, that's amazing."