POPULAR TV chef James Martin told the dozens of fans that turned up for a chance to meet him yesterday that he "bloody loves" Glasgow.
The chef was visiting the newly refurbished branch of SpudULike in Braehead ahead of his sell-out show at the Royal Concert Hall last night.
James has recently taken over the chain alongside Ronnie Bartlett from Albert Bartlett Potatoes.
READ MORE: James Martin to visit SpudULlike Braehead this weekend
He proved a hit with the legions of fans who turned out at lunchtime to catch a glimpse of him and of course, grab a selfie.
He said: "Everything about Scotland, I bloody love it. People, countryside - everything. I fell in love with it many moons ago.
At last night's show, he performed cooking demonstrations and gave out tips to the sold-out 2000 strong audience. He added: "Glasgow has always been kind to me. We launched the first ever tour five years ago, we did our first night here. It's gone crazy.
"I come up here quite a lot with Nick Nairn. We've been fans of Glasgow since the Ready steady cook days - even before that. More than 30 years now I've been coming back and forth to Glasgow.
"It's a special place, whether you're coming for the Good Food Show or just having a walk around."
The Yorkshire man was also impressed with how much Glasgow's food scene has improved, adding: "Our food reputation wasn't great for the last thirty years but now it's transformed. It's not what it used to be. You can go and get amazing Thai food, Chinese food, Indian food and Italian food. People appreciate food a lot more than they used to - which is brilliant!"
James also launched a chain of cafes including a branch at Glasgow Airport. He revealed he was thrilled to be taking on the "iconic brand." James added:"I was brought up with SpudULike when I was a young kid and about ten years ago, I became friends with Ronnie Bartlett.
"He told me about this and asked if I would be interested in taking it on because it was in receivership. It used to be really popular."
James was mobbed by fans yesterday - and he was as glad to see them as they were to see him, revealing that the Braehead branch was one of his favourites.
He added: "People are loving it, it's fantastic.
"It's about making the food accessible for everybody.
"It's been a full house, it's been brilliant. This one is really cool because you can sit inside and eat. The response has been fantastic."
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