Jamie Oliver didn’t earn the nickname ‘naked chef’ for nothing. Okay it referred to the simplicity of his recipes rather than a penchant for cooking in buff, but who could forget that photo shoot with him in a bathtub? These days this Essex boy's more likely to be found scampering around a vegetable patch with his brood (or teaching the nation how to cook cheap as chips meals) than getting his kit off for cameras.

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In 2006, James Martin gave us an excellent incentive to get up on a Saturday morning. The Yorkshireman replaced Antony Worrall Thompson as the presenter of ‘Saturday Kitchen’ and our regimen of rising at 10am to lounge about in jammies and watch him hobnob with fellow chefs and celebrity guests was born.    

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We don’t know whether it’s the honesty of his memoir ‘Toast’, his gentleness on camera or the thoroughly unpretentious style of his cooking, but we’ll always have a soft spot for Nigel Slater. While his hairstyles have run the gamut from close crop to grizzly beard, we find the floppiness of this Hugh Grant-esque mop the most fetching.

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Marcus Wareing has two Michelin starred restaurants under his belt and the grey hair to prove it. There’s never been a better time to pay his eponymous restaurant a visit at the Berkeley Hotel as it recently underwent a £1.4 million refurbishment and reopened in March. Its lunch menu is surprisingly affordable; even more reason to stake out the dining room for a glimpse of him. He'll also be back on television soon as Michel Roux Jr.'s replacement in 'Masterchef: The Professionals'.

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Three delicious James Martin recipes
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When Levi Roots isn’t getting nominated for MOBOs and cashing in from his Reggae Reggae Sauce, he’s adding to his impressive collection of suits. We didn’t think any apparel could be more attractive than starched chef whites, but this sharp burgundy two-piece (along with Roots’ dreads and gap-toothed grin) has cheffie clothes looking half-baked at best.

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Watching Yotam Ottolenghi politely pick his way through a Middle Eastern market – stopping to squeeze a fig’s flesh to test its ripeness or taste freshly ground harissa – beats ‘Masterchef’ hands down. Luckily for London-dwellers, his Islington eatery is filled to the girders with platters of glistening salads and tahini-dressed veggies (not to mention giant meringues and gooey stacks of confectionary) - his cooking is almost as sexy as him!

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The phrase ‘Italian stallion’ springs to mind when confronted with Gino D’Acampo. What could be more glorious than watching him shimmy about the Amalfi Coast in a form-fitting polo shirt? Nothing except perhaps the sexy celebrity chef spoon-feeding us tiramisu. 

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As a member of the illustrious Roux family, Michel Jr. doesn’t do things by halves. As well as running the two-Michelin-starred Le Gavroche since 1991, this silver fox has sprinted across the finishing line at no less than 12 London marathons (hence the wiry physique despite his restaurant’s signature dish – cheese soufflé baked on cream).

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Sexy monsieur Blanc shares first place with baguettes, cheese and wine as France’s greatest export. Despite having never stepped foot in Le Cordon Bleu, Blanc’s restaurant at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons boasts two Michelin stars and is where many a famous chef has honed their craft, including Heston Blumenthal and Marco Pierre-White.

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Keith Floyd’s unscripted TV chef style - interrupted by slurps on a glass of vino - was nothing less than charming and set the tone for many a sexy TV chef to come. Floyd was the naughty boy of TV food - he was in a financial quagmire for most of his life, went bankrupt twice and died of a heart attack in 2009 aged 65. He is survived by a whopping 19 TV series, 25 books, a worldwide legion of Floyd fans and the spiffiest collection of neck ties and Panama hats. RIP to one very sexy man of food.

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