William Sitwell

William Sitwell
Born	(1969-10-02) October 2, 1969 United Kingdom
Occupation(s)	Author, editor, broadcaster, restaurant critic
Known for	Editor of Waitrose Food magazine, restaurant critic for The Daily Telegraph, judge on MasterChef UK

William Ronald Sacheverell Sitwell DL (born 2 October 1969) is a British author, editor, broadcaster, and restaurant critic affiliated with The Daily Telegraph. He previously served as the editor of Waitrose Food magazine.

Early life and education

Sitwell is the younger son of Francis Trajan Sacheverell Sitwell and the grandson of Sir Sacheverell Sitwell, 6th Baronet, a noted writer and critic. He is also the great-nephew of Sir Osbert Sitwell, 5th Baronet, and the poet Dame Edith Sitwell. Currently, he stands as heir presumptive to the Sitwell baronetcy, which is held by his older brother Sir George Sitwell, 8th Baronet.

His education includes attendance at Eton College followed by studies at the University of Kent, where he contributed to the student-run newspaper.

Career

Sitwell frequently appears as a quarter-final judge on the television programme MasterChef UK, where he sets challenges for contestants alongside judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

He has written a number of internationally acclaimed culinary books such as Eggs or Anarchy: The Remarkable Story of the Man Tasked with the Impossible: to Feed a Nation at War (2016), A History of Food in 100 Recipes (2017), The Really Quite Good British Cookbook (2017), and The Restaurant: A 2,000-Year History of Dining Out (2020).

In September 2019, Sitwell was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) for Northamptonshire.

Controversy

In 2018, Sitwell became involved in controversy after responding to freelance journalist Selene Nelson’s suggestion for vegan-friendly recipe features with an email containing a joke about "killing vegans." When Nelson publicized this exchange, Sitwell resigned from his role as editor of Waitrose Food, the in-house publication for Waitrose. This incident ignited discussions regarding freedom of speech and whether offensive humour warrants dismissal. Sitwell subsequently offered a personal apology to Nelson.

After stepping down, he joined The Daily Telegraph as a restaurant critic and began hosting the dining show William Sitwell's Supper Club. In April 2020, he returned to MasterChef to challenge contestants to prepare plant-based dishes.

Political views

In March 2024, Sitwell described himself as "a long-term Conservative supporter." Ahead of the 2024 general election, he encouraged Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to "go out in a blaze of Conservative economic glory," proposing measures such as tax reductions, decentralisation of authority to regional councils, enhancement of broadband infrastructure—particularly in rural areas and on trains—cancellation of HS2, reforming GP sick note policies, positioning cities as attractive investment centres for affluent individuals, and removing obstacles to development.

Personal life

Sitwell has been married twice and is father to four children. His first marriage was to Laura McCorquodale in 2000; they had two children together: Alice Edith (born 2002) and Albert Norman Francis Sacheverell (born 2004). After their divorce in 2017, he wed the Hon Emily Lopes later that year. She is daughter of Henry Massey Lopes, 3rd Baron Roborough. The couple have two sons: Walter Henry Sacheverell (born 2018) and Barnaby Franco Sacheverell (born 2020).

Additionally, Sitwell acts as godfather to Mary, daughter of former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg.

External links

• William Sitwell featured on The Daily Telegraph
• Latest news and analysis on William Sitwell from the Evening Standard