TV chef set to cook up a new era at Jenners

Published on Friday 20 June 2008 10:35

CELEBRITY chef James Martin is set to be brought in to modernise the restaurant at Jenners as part of a major revamp of the Princes Street store.

The star of Ready, Steady, Cook and Strictly Come Dancing has been in talks with House of Fraser about lending his name to the venture. The deal would see him overhaul their menu and oversee the training of the store's restaurant staff.

The refurbishment would also see major changes within the historic store, including the creation of a new coffee bar with stunning views over Princes Street Gardens, the Scott Monument and North Bridge. The cafe would be created by the windows on the store's second floor as part of a revamp of the food hall.

The link-up with Martin comes six years after the end of Gary Rhodes ill-fated partnership with the department store.

The high profile chef opened an eponymous restaurant in what was Jenners' children's department on Rose Street in 1999, but it was criticised for offering poor value for money and closed three years later.

Martin, who presents Saturday Kitchen on BBC1, is almost as well known for his colourful private life as his acclaimed cooking. He has been romantically linked with a series of glamorous women, including TV presenters Fearne Cotton and Alice Beer, and actresses Claire Goose and Martine McCutcheon. In the kitchen, he is perhaps best-known for his sumptuous desserts.

The restaurant is also due to be extensively redecorated as part of the wider refurbishment that will take in many other areas of the store.

The changes would mark the biggest investment in the store since House of Fraser took over three years ago.

The owners are believed to feel that the store needs to move with the times while respecting its heritage.

A House of Fraser source said: "Ten years ago it looked exactly the same as it does now."

The company has yet to announce details of its plans, but a spokeswoman confirmed the store was to have "a major refurbishment" and that it was in talks with Mr Martin.

The moves are being seen as a response to the success of Harvey Nichols Forth Floor restaurant.

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce spokesman Graham Bell said: "Jenners was looking over its shoulders when Harvey Nichols opened up. Its restaurant with panoramic views has been a big part of its success. Any business needs to adapt to changing markets and it's delightful to see Jenners moving with the times."

The 170-year-old store was most recently refurbished in 2002 when it had new windows installed and its window canopies removed. Until 2005, when it was sold to the House of Fraser group, Jenners was the oldest family-owned department store in the world with the Douglas-Miller family having owned the store since 1881.

James Martin was unavailable for comment.