James Martin hires a plane just to get fish and chips.

James Martin

James Martin

The 'Saturday Kitchen' singer can't get enough of the dish served in the seaside town of Whitby in North Yorkshire and will resort to any length to get his fix of the calorific meal from his favourite restaurants.

He said: "Heaven is fish and chips from either Trenches or Magpie in Whitby.

"I've got my pilot's licence and have been known to fly myself to Whitby for fish and chips.

"I charter a plane for the day - I don't have my own one, I'm not Simon Cowell! I'd need to cook a lot of bloody omelettes to buy a plane!"

The 43-year-old chef also confessed to having a "phobia" of hot drinks following an upsetting incident as a child.

He said: "My hell is hot drinks - I burnt my mouth as a kid so I have a phobia of them."

Though he enjoys his TV career, James is already planning his retirement.

He told OK! magazine: "My ultimate dream is retiring to a farm in Yorkshire with some animals.

"I sadly lost one of my dogs, Fudge, a few weeks ago. He'd been with me through thick and thin.

"I don't have kids and I don't aspire to have kids either, but Fudge was my soulmate."