Charles Robert Campion (17 October 1951 – 23 December 2020) was an English television personality and food critic who wrote for

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

, and the Evening Standard.

Biography

Campion was born in Leamington Spa,

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Av ...

, the son of Geoffrey Campion and Meriel Campion (née Swann). He was educated at

Blundell's School Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school in the English public school tradition, located in Tiverton, Devon. It was founded in 1604 under the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the t ...

in Tiverton,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

and at Watford Art College, Hertfordshire.

Early career

After 15 years in the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

-based

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

industry, Campion took a career change in 1988 and with his wife Sylvia purchased a small hotel, Cold Springs House, in

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. Renovating it into a luxury hotel and restaurant, he took on the role of head chef - the only light in what became an abortive and failing enterprise. The hotel closed in 1991.

Food Critic

Campion moved on to become a food journalist, writing restaurant reviews and food articles for ''The Independent'', ''The Times'', ''The Weekend Telegraph'', ''

The Illustrated London News ''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...

'', '' BBC Good Food Magazine'', ''Epicurean Life'' and ''Delicious''. He was a regular judge at both the British Cheese Awards and the International Cheese Awards. He won the

Glenfiddich Glenfiddich () is a Speyside single malt Scotch whisky produced by William Grant & Sons in the Scottish burgh of Dufftown in Moray. The name Glenfiddich derives from the Scottish Gaelic ''Gleann Fhiodhaich'' meaning "valley of the deer", which is ...

"Restaurant Writer of the Year" Award in 1997 and in 2018 the Great Taste award for contribution to fine food. Between 1999 and 2005 Campion wrote seven editions of the ''Rough Guide to London Restaurants''. He also wrote three cookery books with chef Theodore Kyriakou: ''The Livebait Cookbook'', ''Real Greek Food'' and ''The Real Greek at Home''. He wrote the culinary memoir ''Fifty Recipes To Stake Your Life On'', the barbecue recipe book ''Food from Fire'' and ''Eat Up!''. The third edition of ''Charles Campion's London Restaurant Guide'' was published in 2008.

Television work

Campion appeared in the media, mainly on ''

MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking show television format created by Franc Roddam, which originated with the UK version in July 1990. The format was revived and updated for the BBC in February 2005 by executive producers Roddam and John ...

'', ''

Celebrity MasterChef ''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...

'' and in January 2013 on '' Celebrity Mastermind''. He co-presented the Sky UK series '' Greatest Dishes in the World''.

Marriage and children

Campion married Sylvia Murray in 1986. They had a daughter, Ashley, and a son, Geoffrey.

Death

Campion died on 23 December 2020 at the age of 69, from complications of heart disease. He was surrounded by his wife, son and daughter.

References

External links

Charles Campion
- Archive of Official Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Campion, Charles 1951 births 2020 deaths British food writers British restaurant critics British male journalists British television presenters People educated at Blundell's School