As a judge on BBC 2's BAFTA Award winning The Great British Bake Off, Paul knows a thing or two about baking.
As head baker at some of the most exclusive hotels including Cliveden, Chester Grosvenor and The Dorchester, Paul gained a reputation as one of the country's finest artisan bakers.
The son of baker with a chain of shops on the East Coast of England, Paul originally trained as a sculptor before joining the family business. Following his apprenticeship and success at some of the UK's top hotels, Paul took the opportunity to travel extensively through Cyprus, Egypt and Jordan, visiting remote villages to discover ancient techniques for baking bread and, on one occasion, travelling to a Bedouin encampment and baking in the desert on an upturned cooking pot!
On his return to the England, he went on to launch the Paul Hollywood Artisan Bread Company and now supplies Harrods, amongst others, with his own branded bread.
Paul began his media career on Carlton Food Network and Taste in 2002 where he co-presented two TV series with James Martin. He now makes regular appearances for the BBC and ITV and is of course renowned for his partnership with Mary Berry.
In 2005 he wrote the best-selling recipe book '100 Great Breads' which has been published in ten countries and seven languages, and was voted 'top bread and pastry book' by the Gourmand Academy.
His second book 'How to Bake' published by Bloomsbury was published in 2012.
Paul makes regular contributions to The BBC Good Food Magazine, Olive Magazine, Waitrose Magazine and has written for both The Observer and The Daily Mail.
Paul advises and trains at corporate level, working extensively with the Flour Advisory Board as well as hosting and presenting large demonstrations and award ceremonies.