The celebrity cook gave an interview with the Talkshire podcast in February.
Speaking on the podcast, James talked about how he didn’t realise “how big a deal” the show was until he had left.
He said: “It just really didn’t really hit me until I left Saturday Kitchen, which is five years ago now, I didn’t realise how big a deal it was and I genuinely mean that.”
He also said: “I feel I owe it to my industry in terms of the industry that I fell in love with to give something back.
“That’s my way of doing it if I can support them doing anything.
“The guys are amazing people you know, Lisa Northcote [is a] phenomenal chef, you need to give them a voice and a platform to be able to showcase what they do.
“And they’re better chefs than I will ever be.”