Kwoklyn Wan: From Leicester Kitchens to Chinese Food Fame
Introduction
Kwoklyn Wan is a British chef, restaurateur, television presenter, cookbook author and Kung Fu instructor. He is widely known for his Chinese takeaway recipes, popular cookbooks and cooking show, Kwoklyn’s Chinese Takeaway Kitchen.
But his story started much earlier.
Long before television appearances and cookbooks, he was helping in his family’s Chinese restaurant in Leicester. Washing dishes, preparing vegetables and watching experienced chefs work became part of his childhood.
At 16, he started cooking professionally.
Today, his work covers food, television, publishing and martial arts. He is also the older brother of British television presenter Gok Wan.
Quick Facts About Kwoklyn Wan
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kwoklyn Wan |
| Profession | Chef, cookbook author, TV presenter and martial arts instructor |
| Nationality | British |
| Birth year | Around 1972–1973 |
| Hometown | Leicester, England |
| Family background | British-Chinese |
| Father | John Wan |
| Mother | Myra Wan |
| Brother | Gok Wan |
| Sister | Oilen Wan |
| Wife | Lisa Jayne, as reported in 2021 |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Known for | Chinese takeaway recipes and cookbooks |
| First cookbook | Chinese Takeaway Cookbook (2019) |
| Television programme | Kwoklyn’s Chinese Takeaway Kitchen |
| Martial arts school | Urban Martial Arts |
| Official website | Man with a Wok |
Early Life and Childhood in Leicester
Cooking was everywhere during his childhood.
His grandfather moved from China to Britain and settled in Leicester. In 1962, he opened a Chinese restaurant in the city.
Finding Chinese ingredients wasn’t easy then. Many suppliers didn’t carry the foods now commonly found in Asian supermarkets. Restaurant owners had to adjust their menus according to what they could buy.
The family business kept growing.
In 1978, his father opened The Bamboo House, a Cantonese restaurant in Leicester. The business became another important chapter in the family’s food history.
Then came The Panda.
In 1983, his parents bought a restaurant on Fosse Road North. The building included accommodation above the restaurant, allowing the family to live and work in the same place.
For young Kwoklyn, everyday life happened around restaurant tables and busy kitchens.
He helped peel prawns, wash dishes and chop vegetables. His siblings worked there too.
It was normal family life.
Those early experiences later became the base of his cooking career.
Family Background and Parents
His parents played a major part in his upbringing.
His father, John Wan, came from a Chinese background. His mother, Myra Wan, is English.
The family lived in Leicester, where Chinese restaurants became an important part of their working lives.
Running a restaurant took serious commitment.
Long working hours were common. The children often helped when the kitchen became busy.
The parents wanted their children to understand the family business.
That experience stayed with him.
Years later, he would use those childhood memories when writing recipes and talking about British-Chinese food culture.
Education and First Professional Job
His early education took place alongside the family’s restaurant business.
At 16, he left school and began working full-time at The Panda.
This was a proper kitchen job.
He prepared ingredients before service and cooked Cantonese and Sichuan-style dishes during busy evenings.
It was demanding work.
Customers expected fast service, familiar flavours and consistent cooking.
He learned through daily practice.
The restaurant also appeared in The Good Food Guide for several years, according to his official account.
His published career history does not establish a formal culinary-school qualification. His professional cooking experience came mainly through the family restaurant.
He later gained a YMCA Diploma in Sport Science and Fitness in 1996, connected with his sporting interests.
How His Cooking Career Grew
His career began with traditional restaurant work, but it didn’t stay there.
He spent years learning Chinese cooking methods and developing dishes inspired by British Chinese takeaways.
Think fried rice, crispy chicken and sweet-and-sour sauces.
These were familiar foods.
Many British customers already loved them, but making restaurant-style versions at home could seem difficult.
He wanted to make that easier.
His recipes focused on straightforward instructions and ingredients that ordinary home cooks could find.
He also shared cooking demonstrations through live events, magazines, radio and television.
Over time, that public work led to cookbook publishing.
And books changed everything.
His first Chinese takeaway cookbook appeared in 2019, bringing his restaurant knowledge to readers who wanted to prepare popular dishes in their own kitchens.
A Successful Cookbook Career
His books helped introduce his cooking to a wider audience.
Rather than focusing entirely on complex restaurant methods, he built many recipes around practical home cooking.
Here are his confirmed cookbooks.
Chinese Takeaway Cookbook (2019)
His first major cookbook arrived in 2019.
It contains more than 70 recipes inspired by familiar Chinese takeaway food.
Readers can find dishes such as sweet-and-sour chicken, chop suey, prawn toast and egg-fried rice.
The idea was simple.
Make your takeaway favourites at home.
The book drew heavily on his professional experience working in Chinese restaurants.
The Veggie Chinese Takeaway Cookbook (2020)
His second cookbook focused on vegetarian and vegan cooking.
It offered meat-free versions of Chinese takeaway favourites.
Vegetables, tofu and plant-based ingredients became the main ingredients.
The book widened his audience to readers who wanted Chinese flavours without meat.
Chinese Takeaway in 5 (2021)
This cookbook focused on recipes using five main ingredients.
The aim was to make Chinese cooking more manageable for people with busy schedules.
Short ingredient lists became the main selling point.
10-Minute Chinese Takeaway (2022)
Quick meals took centre stage here.
The book contains more than 80 recipes built around short cooking times.
It includes noodles, tofu dishes, meat recipes and takeaway-style favourites.
The Complete Chinese Takeaway Cookbook (2022)
This larger collection brought together 200 recipes.
It included 150 established favourites and 50 new dishes.
With 352 pages, it offered readers a broader collection of his Chinese takeaway cooking.
One Wok, One Pot (2023)
This book concentrated on meals prepared using one main cooking vessel.
Its recipes draw from Chinese and other East and Southeast Asian cooking traditions.
The approach makes preparation and washing up more manageable.
Chinese Made Easy (2025)
Published on 9 January 2025, Chinese Made Easy: Simple, Modern Recipes for Every Day contains more than 70 recipes.
It introduces Chinese cooking techniques, accessible ingredients and practical substitutions.
The book includes wontons, dim sum, noodle dishes and vegetable-based meals.
It also explains techniques such as velveting meat and cooking with a wok.
By this point, he had established a substantial cookbook catalogue.
Television Appearances and Cooking Shows
His television career grew from the same cooking background.
He appeared in food demonstrations and television features before launching his own cookery programme.
His published media credits include appearances on ITV’s This Morning and work connected with BBC programming.
One of his best-known projects is Kwoklyn’s Chinese Takeaway Kitchen.
The series arrived on Amazon Prime Video in 2021.
It brought his takeaway-style recipes to television, allowing viewers to watch the cooking process rather than simply read instructions.
The programme focused on preparing familiar Chinese dishes at home.
His approachable presenting style suited the format.
He could explain ingredients, demonstrate techniques and share tips from his years in restaurant kitchens.
That made television a natural extension of his cookbooks.
His Martial Arts Career
Cooking is only half the story.
He also has decades of martial arts experience.
According to his professional instructor profile, he started Shotokan Karate in 1977 at four years old.
Later, he trained in Wing Chun and Chinese boxing.
His interests grew during the 1980s and 1990s.
He studied different fighting systems, including kickboxing, Muay Thai and other martial arts.
In 1998, he became interested in Jeet Kune Do, the fighting method associated with Bruce Lee.
This became a major part of his professional life.
He later worked with the JKD Wednesday Night Group and served as its European representative.
His martial arts background also explains his long-running interest in physical training, teaching and sporting events.
Establishing Urban Martial Arts
In 2004, he opened Urban Martial Arts in Leicester.
The school focused on Jeet Kune Do and related martial arts training.
It started with a small group of students.
Later, he became involved in larger events.
In 2009, he organised Martial Arts Festival UK.
The following year, he launched The Martial Arts Show at Birmingham’s NEC.
In 2013, the event continued under the name The Martial Arts Expo at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.
His work also included martial arts education and instructor training.
This career developed alongside his interest in food.
Two different professions. One busy working life.
Business Ventures Outside Cooking
Restaurants and martial arts were not his only business interests.
He also worked on several other ventures.
His official biography mentions a truckers’ café, a Taiwanese bubble tea business and a Hong Kong street-food bar.
In 2014, he launched Fun Tea in Leicester.
The shop focused on Taiwanese bubble tea.
His professional biography records that the business received a customer-service award during its early trading period.
These projects show his willingness to try different business ideas.
Some were connected with food. Others grew from his martial arts career.
Either way, he kept working on new projects while staying connected with Chinese cooking.
His Brother Gok Wan
Many people know the Wan family through Gok Wan.
Gok is a British television presenter, fashion expert and author.
His older brother has built a different public career, concentrating on food and martial arts.
But their early years were shared.
Both grew up around their family’s Cantonese restaurant in Leicester.
They worked in the kitchen and helped their parents during busy periods.
Their relationship has also appeared in interviews.
In a 2013 interview with The Guardian, the brothers spoke about their childhood, their shared sense of humour and their close family bond.
Despite working in different fields, they remain publicly associated through their family history.
Wife and Children
His family life has received less publicity than his career.
In a February 2021 interview with The Irish News, he was reported to be living in Leicester with his wife, Lisa Jayne, and their two daughters.
The report identified his daughters as Maya-Lily and Lola-Rose.
At that time, Maya-Lily was 20 and Lola-Rose was 14.
Those ages refer to 2021.
The family has generally kept personal matters away from detailed public coverage.
His exact wedding date has not been reliably established through public sources.
Awards and Professional Recognition
His martial arts career has brought several reported honours.
His official Urban Martial Arts biography lists two awards from Combat Magazine in 2011: Man of the Year and Outstanding Contributions to Martial Arts.
It also records a 2013 innovation-related honour from Martial Arts Illustrated.
In 2014, his Fun Tea business received recognition through a People’s Choice service award.
These honours are documented in his professional profile.
His cookbook success has also brought recognition within British food publishing, with several titles appearing in his publisher’s catalogue.
What Makes His Cooking Different?
His cooking has a clear starting point.
Real restaurant experience.
He learned in a working Cantonese kitchen long before becoming a published author.
That experience helps explain his interest in Chinese takeaway-style food.
His recipes often focus on meals people already recognise.
Sweet-and-sour dishes. Crispy noodles. Fried rice.
The ingredient lists are usually manageable, especially in books written around quick cooking.
He also explains common Chinese cooking methods.
For someone unfamiliar with a wok, that can make a big difference.
His books cover vegetarian dishes, traditional favourites and recipes intended for busy households.
The main idea stays consistent: good Chinese food can be prepared at home.
Career and Current Work
As of October 2026, his official website continues to present him as a television chef, author and Chinese cooking specialist.
His established professional work also includes martial arts instruction through Urban Martial Arts.
His 2025 cookbook, Chinese Made Easy, is among his most recent confirmed publishing projects.
His official website, Man with a Wok, features recipes and information about his books.
He has spent much of his professional life sharing skills he learned through practical work.
First in restaurants.
Then in teaching, business, publishing and television.
Final Thought
Kwoklyn Wan’s career began behind the scenes.
He grew up helping in a busy restaurant, became a professional chef at 16 and later built a public career through cookbooks and television.
His martial arts work tells another part of the story.
He opened a training school, taught students and organised major events.
Still, food remains closely connected with his public identity.
His books bring familiar Chinese takeaway recipes into home kitchens, while his television work shows people how to prepare them.
And that early restaurant experience?
It remains the foundation of his cooking.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who is Kwoklyn Wan?
Kwoklyn Wan is a British chef, television presenter, cookbook author and martial arts instructor. He is known for Chinese takeaway-style recipes and cooking programmes.
2. How old is Kwoklyn Wan?
A 2013 interview described him as 40 years old. This places his birth around 1972 or 1973, but his exact date of birth is not reliably confirmed.
Yes. He is the older brother of British television presenter and fashion expert Gok Wan.
4. Who is Kwoklyn Wan’s wife?
A 2021 interview with The Irish News identified his wife as Lisa Jayne.
5. Does Kwoklyn Wan have children?
Yes. The same 2021 interview reported that he has two daughters, Maya-Lily and Lola-Rose.
6. Where did Kwoklyn Wan grow up?
He grew up in Leicester, England, where his family operated Chinese restaurants.
7. What was his first cookbook?
His first major cookbook was Chinese Takeaway Cookbook, published in 2019.
8. Is he a martial arts instructor?
Yes. He founded Urban Martial Arts in 2004 and has extensive experience in Jeet Kune Do and other martial arts.
