Leyla Kazim

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Leyla Kazim
Kazim in 2022
BornAugust 1985 (age 40)
Sidcup, London, England
Alma mater
Years active2012–present
Websitewww.thecutlerychronicles.com

Leyla Kazim (born August 1985) is an English writer and media personality. She gained prominence through her food and travel blog before joining The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4 as a presenter. On television, she appeared in Beat the Chef on Channel 4 and the BBC One MasterChef franchise. Her work has received a number of accolades, including being nominated for a Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Award.

Early life and education

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Kazim was born in Sidcup, South London to a Turkish-Cypriot father and Mauritian mother and grew up in Welling. Kazim attended Townley Grammar School in Bexleyheath.[1][2] She graduated with a degree in astrophysics from University College London.[3] In 2010, Kazim ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon and raised money for a local Croydon charity.[4]

Career

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Kazim started her personal food and travel blog in October 2012 under the name The Cutlery Chronicles.[5][6] The Cutlery Chronicles was a 2013 Good Food favourite blogs pick.[7] Kazim also contributed to the likes of Great British Chefs and the Sutton & Croydon Guardian.[8] She created a second website in 2015 called London Cheap Eats dedicated to archiving meals at independent London joints for £8 or less.[9] Kazim appeared on the Evening Standard list of top 10 London foodie influencers on Instagram.[10] By 2018, Kazim had garnered over 100 thousand Instagram followers.[11][12]

In 2018, Kazim and Adam Liaw helped curate Lonely Planet's inaugural Ultimate Eatlist guide by assessing and narrowing down submitted food recommendations.[13][14] For this, Kazim drew upon her experiences traveling circa 2015.[15]

In early 2019, Kazim judged the BBC Food & Farming Awards for the first time,[16] later returning to host annually, as well as the new Channel 4 cooking competition show Beat the Chef as part of the critic panel.[17][18]

After making her first appearances in September and October for the show's 40th anniversary,[19] Kazim officially joined the The Food Programme on BBC Radio 4 as a presenter in November 2019.[20] The Food Programme won Best Food Podcast or Broadcast at the 2021 Guild of Food Writers (GFW) Awards.[21] An episode Kazim presented titled "Pure umami: should we learn to love MSG?" was shortlisted for a Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Award in the Radio category.[22]

Kazim joined the BBC One cooking competition series MasterChef: The Professionals and Masterchef as a food critic, making her first appearance on the former in November 2022.[23][24] She took part in MasterChef: Battle of the Critics in 2023.[25] Also in 2023, Kazim presented the BBC One programmes Coast to Coast Food Festival[26] and Food Fest England[27] and hosted installments of the Fortnum & Mason supper club series Food Behind the Pages with the likes of Max La Manna.[28]

Kazim's debut book Pathways was published in 2025. Emma Gannon provided the foreword. The book consists of personal essays that cover change, disillusionment, and growth as Kazim muses on her decision to move to a farm in rural Portugal.[29][30]

Personal life

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Kazim married her husband Matt in June 2018.[31] Before moving to Portugal, she lived near Colliers Wood.[11]

Bibliography

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  • Pathways (2025)

References

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  1. ^ "Leyla Kazim'den ilk kitap: Pathways okuyucuyla buluştu". Londra Gazette (in Turkish). 19 May 2025.[dead link]
  2. ^ Undor, Melissa (13 March 2023). "Leyla Kazim, de la BBC, parle de la nourriture la plus scandaleuse qu'elle ait jamais mangée avant sa nouvelle émission". EnCause (in French). Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  3. ^ "Leyla Kazim: Presenter for BBC's The Food Programme and writer of 'The Cutlery Chronicles'". Mother Tongue. Archived from the original on 21 February 2021. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  4. ^ "Leyla boosts kids' charity". Your Local Guardian. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  5. ^ "Monday Meet The Blogger: Leyla Kazim". Kavey Eats. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  6. ^ Charlotte (4 June 2014). "We interviewed Leyla Kazim!". Gourmandize. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  7. ^ Rebecca (6 June 2013). "Favourite blogs: The Cutlery Chronicles". Good Food. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013.
  8. ^ "Articles by Leyla Kazim". MuckRack. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  9. ^ Dannreuther, Rupert (14 January 2016). "Interview: Leyla Kazim from London Cheap Eats". To Do. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  10. ^ Lough, Katie (5 January 2016). "10 of London's most influential foodies to follow on Instagram". Evening Standard. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  11. ^ a b Dyer, Lucy (15 March 2018). "Food blogger out to find London's best eateries — on a budget". SW Londoner. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Leyla Kazim's Turkish pilaf with freekeh". The Times. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  13. ^ Thornber, Lorna (14 August 2018). "New Zealand scores six spots in Lonely Planet's 'Ultimate Eatlist'". Stuff. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  14. ^ Hetter, Katia (2018-08-14). "500 food experiences worth traveling for". CNN. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  15. ^ Yiakoumi, Michael (2022). "UK Cypriot Leyla Kazım appeared on MasterChef as a food critic". Cypriots Worldwide. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Food and Farming Awards, Meet the Food & Farming Awards judges for 2019 - Leyla Kazim". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  17. ^ "Leyla Kazim part of the panel for new Channel 4 cookery gameshow Beat The Chef". T-Vine. 27 May 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  18. ^ Prosser, Sally (28 October 2019). "Favourite comfort food when nothing else will do? Some surprising answers revealed". My Custard Pie. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  19. ^ "The Food Programme, The Food Programme at 40: Looking Back (Part I)". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  20. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Food Programme - The Food Programme Presenters". BBC. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  21. ^ "The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2021 Winners Announcement". Guild of Food Writers. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  22. ^ Green, Angela (13 May 2022). "Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Award winners announced". Hospitality & Catering News. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  23. ^ "MasterChef's new food critic: Leyla Kazim". Londra Gazette. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  24. ^ South, Alex (17 March 2023). "Anna Haugh and Leyla Kazim discuss the behind the scenes of MasterChef: The Professionals and stepping into 'big shoes'". The Staff Canteen. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  25. ^ Henry, Grace (14 December 2023). "MasterChef: Battle of the Critics 2023 line-up - confirmed contestants". RadioTimes. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  26. ^ Govan, Chloe (2023-03-13). "BBC's Leyla Kazim spills on outrageous eats ahead of new show". Daily Express. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  27. ^ Wolstenholme, Kate (8 February 2023). "BBC One show visits East Anglia to explore mustard production". Norwich Evening News. Retrieved 2023-04-19.
  28. ^ "Leyla Kazim Book Recommendations & Book Mentions". Tertulia. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  29. ^ Robinson, Tara (12 May 2025). "Interview: Leyla Kazim". Time & Leisure. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  30. ^ "Leyla Kazim Launches Debut Book on Life, Change, and Self-Sufficiency". Londra Gazette. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  31. ^ Kazim, Leyla (6 June 2024). "How we had a London wedding for less than £15,000". A Day Well Spent. Retrieved 16 May 2025.