Martin Blunos

Martin Lauris Blunos (born 11 April 1960) is a British TV chef. Blunos earned two Michelin Guide stars at his restaurant Lettonie, first in Bristol and then in Bath.

His parents came from Latvia to England just after the World War II. Martin attended Thornbury Castle School where he excelled in Home Economics. Once he'd finished his education, he learned his craft through college training in Cheltenham and Cambridge. His cooking style is influenced by his half Russian half Latvian mother. He did a spell at the Strand Palace Hotel in London, a season in Switzerland and went on a Greek tycoon's yacht before settling down in a job at Lampwick's in Battersea, London.

Blunos's first restaurant as chef and owner was Lettonie (French for Latvia) in Bristol, which opened in 1988 with a Franco-British style of cooking with some Eastern European elements. He had opened it with his then girlfriend, Siân, who would later become his wife. He earned his first Michelin star there in 1989, and a second in 1991. He felt at the time that his fellow chefs didn't give him much credit, as he wasn't well known prior to winning the accolades from Michelin. In 1997 he moved Lettonie to larger premises in his home town of Bath where he was assisted by James Tanner. He subsequently felt that he didn't get enough out of the Lettonie "brand", as at the time he felt that he couldn't run more than a single location. The restaurant closed in 2001 as he felt that as a chef-proprietor, he couldn't devote enough time to his family. It was the birth of his daughter that prompted the decision and thought that the only thing that kept his marriage together was that his wife also worked at the restaurant. He opened a new restaurant called Blinis, and his two Michelin star rating followed him to the new premises. In September 2002, the owners, Sebastian and Philippa Hughes decided to close the restaurant. Blunos launched a court case for unfair dismissal.

Blunos cooked for Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh whilst they were visiting Bath as part of the Golden Jubilee tour, in 2002. Following the closure of Lettonie, Blunos was kept busy for the next two years with television appearances and consultancy work for other restaurants. In 2004 Blunos took over as head chef of the Lygon Arms in Broadway, Worcestershire, gaining it a Michelin star and two AA Rosettes in 2005. His two-year contract at the Lygon Arms allowed him the freedom to appear on television and it was agreed that he wouldn't be required at the restaurant every day. He later became executive chef at Hurst House on the Marsh, Laugharne, West Wales, and was executive chef at the Reservoir in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham.