Paul Ainsworth

Paul Ainsworth is a Michelin-starred chef and a very popular and likeable familiar face of British food television. Born in Southampton, Ainsworth developed his passion for cooking from an early age before training at Southampton City College and building his professional career in some of Britain’s most celebrated kitchens.

Ainsworth first became widely recognised on television through the BBC’s Great British Menu. He competed on the programme and won the dessert course. His success on the show helped establish him as a distinctive television chef, and he returned to Great British Menu as a judge, bringing his experience as a chef and restaurateur to the competition.

Alongside Great British Menu, Ainsworth has become a regular guest on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, where he demonstrates various recipes, cooking alongside other leading chefs and shares his knowledge of modern cuisine. He has also appeared on programmes including Yes Chef, Royal Recipes, MasterChef, Sunday Brunch, This Morning, and James Martin’s Saturday Morning.

His television career has expanded beyond guest appearances into more prominent mentoring and judging roles when he joined Gordon Ramsay and Nyesha Arrington as a mentor on ITV’s Next Level Chef.  Paul worked with contestants as they competed across the show’s three-level kitchen. The programme marked another significant step in moving him from guest chef and competition judge into a central mentoring role.

Outside of his television career, Paul continues to have huge success with his expanding empire with his collection of restaurants and hotels. Based in Cornwall, the collection includes newly opened hotel, restaurant and bar, St Enodoc, Michelin-starred Paul Ainsworth at No6, alongside more relaxed dining destinations such as The Mariners Public House, Caffe Rojano and the Michelin-Key awarded Padstow Townhouse, a six-suite boutique hotel in Padstow.  Across the collection, Ainsworth combines refined culinary technique with approachable, generous food, while showcasing the ingredients, character, and hospitality of Cornwall.

Paul lives in North Cornwall with his wife and two young daughters where he enjoys his time off fitness training, and walking with his family and their dog, Freddie, on Cornwall’s beautiful beaches.

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