Kitchen staff of the UK, who are the nice famous chefs to work for? And who are the bell ends ?

Posted by Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 756 comments

Watching Fransisco mezzi cooking and I can't help think he'd be a prick to work for, same for Marcus wearing. Tom kerridge seems lovely. Who's good to work for and who's not ?

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756 Comments

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fyremama@reddit

Geoffrey Smeddle is lovely

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CaptainZealousideal2@reddit

seconded

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Me2309@reddit

Not me but I have friends in the industry who say Gino DiCampo is the worst to work with. An over inflated ego and generally a nasty person

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preferiscoilpandoro@reddit

As an Italian in the U.K., I find him an absolute embarrassment - I heard a couple of TV interviews he gave and he is vulgar, ignorant and obnoxious. How did he even manage to become successful? In Italy he would struggle to get a job washing dishes in a professional kitchen but here he became a TV “chef” by hamming it up to parody levels and putting his name on a shite chain restaurant selling shite food.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Can I ask your option on Vincenzo’s plates on Facebook? My Sardinian friend hates him, and I find him a total fraud too. But be interesting to hear other genuine Italian opinions

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preferiscoilpandoro@reddit

I have not heard of him, tbh

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geekbox0892@reddit

Can confirm he's a nasty piece of work. When I was working at one of his venues we were told he has two settings, angry or getting everyone drunk on tequila. He came in to have a meal, everything was fine up until the dessert. He threw his coffee cup on the floor proclaiming it's crap before ripping the bag of beans which were under the coffee machine open and throwing them everywhere causing the barista and one of the managers to cry while he took pics with the customers.

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chocolatecake1111@reddit

I'm curious but why do chefs and sous chefs and kitchen staff tolerate these behaviours. Why don't they quit?

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Fridarey@reddit

It's wild. People tell the story about Marco Pierre White making a young Gordon Ramsay cry as if it's a proper good haha toughening-up moment but it makes me hate MPW with a fucking white-hot vengeance. This kind of absolute bellendry needs to get in the sea.

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Altruistic-Table5859@reddit

I always think the same. I watch people being berated by Gordon Ramsey and think have you no balls? Why are you taking that shit from him, the arrogant dickhead.

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nicskoll@reddit

Bills! And reputation

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geekbox0892@reddit

Yep, and the money is pretty damn good not gonna lie. Wasn't worth my dignity though.

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geekbox0892@reddit

He's not there at all times. He was so bad at running his restaurants someone else took it over and he only owns I think somewhere between 1-5% and another guy runs the show. Same guy actually helps Ramsay run his empire too, runs Bookers etc in the UK. A lot of chefs did leave though, the staff I started with there were pretty much all gone in 6-8 months both FOH and BOH. Remember seeing one of the chefs on a night out at a place I worked at the time going they treated me like s**t you were right leaving straight away.

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Altruistic-Table5859@reddit

I always think he puts on that thick Italian accent. He's very crude too.

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ResidentLimit7459@reddit

It blew my mind when I learned that he was a habitual burglar when he first came to the UK. He robbed Paul Young and left ciggies stubbed out in his carpet. Everyone has the right to rehabilitation but it's interesting that he's still such a cunt. Didn't learn anything, didn't get humbled.

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EffBee93@reddit

Yeh I used to work with a few Italians and they all hated him passionately. They were blown away with his popularity over here.

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alexnffc1@reddit

I also work with a couple of Italians who have said the same. He exaggerates his accent to the point of parody, they said, and absolutely nobody in Italy knows who he is. They only know of him since living here

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Gent415@reddit

My late father in law (also a chef) was from the same region of Italy as him, and was both amused and insulted by his ridiculous accent and mannerisms. I guess the Italian equivalent of Oliver and his mockney/Essex bollocks.

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preferiscoilpandoro@reddit

I’m one of them, see my comment above!

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sunheadeddeity@reddit

Top user name by the way, although i love a classic panettone, and panforte.

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EngineeringNo8570@reddit

pretty sure one of his burglaries resulted in the victim committing suicide

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TheDaemonette@reddit

Why? Did he cook for them?

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National_Ease_1487@reddit

Bazinga!! Take my upvote you swine

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Best Reddit comment of the decade. Whoosh.

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nasduia@reddit

Is it too late to deport him?

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greggery@reddit

Gino DiCatBurglar?

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greenarsehole@reddit

Not even a proper chef

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Throwaway91847817@reddit

Apparently if his grandmother had wheels, she would be a bike.

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LadyMirkwood@reddit

Not kitchen staff but I have a family member who fits equipment in professional establishments. Apparently Tom Kerridge is lovely. He will feed you and offer drinks, chat and is generally lovely. Jason Atherton is the complete opposite. An arrogant, unfriendly arse.

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IR2Freely@reddit

I've eaten at Tom's 'pub' about 10 times before his 2nd star when he inflated the prices so much. Once I heard him absolutely berating the chefs. The whole 'pub' went silent. And his wife seems to be a bit of a pisshead, not that I judge. That's just the stuff I've seem first hand. That pork dish he won GBM with was incredible though. One of the best dishes I've ever had. Same with his mussels in ale starter.

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Sad-Proof-3283@reddit

Yeah hate Hand and Flowers now - so pretentious and the food is no where near as joyful as it used to be

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IR2Freely@reddit

I just had a look at the menu and 3 of the starters were on his menu well over 10 years ago! The lovage soup, the haddock omlette and the duck parfait. I've had all 3 and they'd rank as my least memorable starters I've had there, especially the omlette and the parfait. Seems like a complete tourist trap now.

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johnwayneswagger@reddit

I have heard this about Jason.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

I mean just watch any show with Jason, he comes across not very well at all. Little man syndrome

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Amazing-Heron-105@reddit

That doesn't surprise me at all about Tom Kerridge. Seems like a lovely bloke.

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the-channigan@reddit

I was worried it was a front though and I was gonna come on this thread and see everyone slating him.

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BowiesFixedPupil@reddit

First time I met him I wasn't aware of who he was but I commented to my wife how nice he was. She did know who he was! And that's how we became regulars at The Coach in Marlow. I've since seen him interacting with his staff enough to know he's definitely a good boss.

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Casual_Precision@reddit

I went to the Coach when he first started there, he was mates with a friend of mine. He came out to check what we thought of the meal, I said there wasn’t enough gravy. He made a note of it and said thanks.

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blacksheeping@reddit

So what you're saying is you are responsible for him becoming such a good chef. Well done! Or should I say medium rare.

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Casual_Precision@reddit

Yep, I take all the credit!

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Busmannn@reddit

I’ve worked foh in a stadium where he was doing a guest menu. He spent plenty of time explaining the menu, answering all our questions and just generally chatting away with everyone.

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Drath101@reddit

I don't know him at all well, but I know people who are fairly close with him, so we've met a few times and he's always been polite and chatty to me

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didndonoffin@reddit

I miss big chunky Tom

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vikingraider47@reddit

Apart from the law doesnt apply to him? He has previous as far as i'm aware

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Fallenovergirl@reddit

My dad cohosted a food show with Tom Kerridge a few years back - he seemed much nicer than my dad!

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SmashedWorm64@reddit

My mother met Tom Kerridge at a petrol station and went out and brought his cook book after the interaction lmao

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chickenlickenredux@reddit

Yes he spent time at my local when he did that BBC series on regenerating pubs. Top bloke by all accounts, including mine.

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wonderwhy8687@reddit

I got lucky with a table at the Connaught for lunch in the first few months it was open. The person I was meeting was late and Tom came to sit with me and chatted about general stuff. I am star struck by sports people and chefs so I didn’t play it particularly cool but he was great. Upvotes for Kerridge.

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Intelligent_Put_3606@reddit

I've helped to host a couple of book signings with Tom Kerridge - he was a great speaker very friendly towards us.

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flalex05@reddit

I didn't know either of those names so I googled them. Recognised Tom, but can't say I've seen Jason before. I will also say that Jason Atherton looks like someone I'd happily punch in the face, so I'm not surprised to hear he's a twat

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Honey-Badger@reddit

Honestly if I read anywhere that Tom was anything but lovely I would just refuse to believe it.

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IGiveBagAdvice@reddit

TK used to drop meals to our hospital during COVID and would stop and chat. Really lovely man

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BenAtTank2@reddit

I used to go to the same gym as Kerridge, and have a few ex colleagues who have done FOH work for him, can confirm, lovely bloke on and off the clock.

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-DWAESQ-@reddit

I served him in a bar once, and I stand by the fact that he is the must insufferable man I’ve ever come across.

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eltrotter@reddit

I met Tom Kerridge a few years ago when I played at one of his “Pub in the Park” festivals. Really lovely fella, had a lot of time for people and seemed genuinely interested to chat.

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human_duvet@reddit

Not going to say too much but mid 00s Atherton at Maze was indeed a bit of a prick. Having said that, we all have times in our life where we are not our best and people can change.

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Common_Upstairs8134@reddit

I just did a pottery course and the tutor had made some stuff for Tom Kerridge. He said exactly the same - fed them for free, was super friendly and hospitable

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kpop_stan@reddit

On a side note that chicken curry pie fr his M&S range is the dog’s bollocks. I scoffed at the £7 price tag but tried one the other week when it was reduced… would now happily pay that £7 😆

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SkipsH@reddit

I sometimes like to pick up M&S as a treat for date nights and stuff.

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SkipsH@reddit

To be fair, it's also a good play even if it is a front, if anything goes wrong with the equipment I imagine Tom gets better responses.

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Radiant-Bag2090@reddit

Ainsley Harriet is a genuine lovely bloke. He often shops in Wandsworth Waitrose and is kind and pleasant with staff always chatting with them. Will always ask fish counter staff what they recommend and any customers they recognise him he always makes time for. Takes him ages to do his shopping. Same for Simon Rimmer, warm and funny and nice to staff. I worked with him on an event for Tappers Gin and he was genuinely very interested in people and their views, involving them in the event.

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hrfr5858@reddit

I worked for both Gordon Ramsay and Angela Hartnett (when Hartnett worked for the Ramsay org) and they were both genuinely lovely. I was FOH at the time but never heard complaints from the kitchen either.

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InfectedEllie@reddit

Tbh I think Gordon's mean act is all for TV.

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Scary-Towel6962@reddit

Only Americans seem to buy it

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Missus_Nicola@reddit

You can tell that it is, because of how lovely he is with the kids on the junior version of the show.

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InfectedEllie@reddit

Exactly. Also the difference between him and the other judges on American shows. I saw a short the other day where a contestant was making tortellini, Joe and graham were ruthless saying how his fat hands can't make pasta. Gordon didn't say anything until he tasted his food, then said it was incredible.

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Netsforex_@reddit

To be honest I think the only thing he gets genuinely angry about is people that call themselves chefs but show no passion for their craft or don't want to change or improve.

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Jlaw118@reddit

I’ve just replied to another comment further down about how the attitude of some of the people who he was trying to help on Kitchen Nightmares would be enough to drive anybody to shout and swear. He literally was trying to help these people and make changes to get their restaurants out of trouble, and they’d just turn around and argue “there’s nothing wrong with that.” Well there is because numerous customers are sending it back to the kitchen 🤪 He cared a lot about these people and helping them but so many just refused the help but wondered why they were up to their eyes in debt

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Revolutionary-Mode75@reddit

I did hear he gave some them off screen support long after filming as finish using his own resources. Probably for those that genuinely engage in process.

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Netsforex_@reddit

Absolutely. I've seen plenty of times GR would encounter someone with little-to-no experience, but he'd see their passion and pretty much pay for their culinary school so they could get something official to back their passion. He would also meet experienced chefs, who cared nothing for food anymore and find out why. If it was a case of personal issues for the chef, he'd give them an aside and try to help them get back to a point where they can find that passion for food again. But if GR felt from the get-go that the chef just didn't care anymore he would rip into them.

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sandyy_pandyy@reddit

Speaking of investing in people - I can never forget that episode of a show where he was racing some bloke in jail to see who’s going to cut onions first. The young guy won, and Gordon, genuinely impressed, offer him a job in his restaurant after he’s out

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Ch3ks@reddit

The guy ended up reoffending and went back to jail unfortunately. https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/s/XiOUwWHQfb From Gordon's mouth himself

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erroneousbosh@reddit

"... and the offer is still open today providing he comes back into society better placed." From nine years ago. I wonder how he's doing? I hope he did get it all sorted out. There are some people who could learn a lot from that attitude though.

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Baggins_1420@reddit

Unless they’re a donkey.

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mad-un@reddit

Cooking in prison? Fun fact: that was Alan Partridge's idea that Gordon's production team stole and have no credit to Alan for

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Zealousideal_Cold265@reddit

I remember that!

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Netsforex_@reddit

I love how he humanizes everyone. You notice this in a lot of his shows, he isn't there just to look at the bottom line, he's there to help people realize who and what they want to be and helps them take those steps to build a better restaurant.

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vinpetrol@reddit

The one I remember was when he went to a chaotic restaurant in Paris setup by this rich bloke to try to give his daughter something to do. He eventually threw out the chef and replaced her with a young Scottish woman called India, but she managed really well so when the restaurant (unsurprisingly) closed he offered her a job. She went onwards and upwards from there. In fact, I just googled for her and this page from earlier in 2025 summarises things well: https://paulton.co.za/what-happened-to-india-from-kitchen-nightmares/

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princessalyss_@reddit

Bistro Teatro. What a holy shit show. I really felt for that poor girl, she uprooted her life and moved to another country only for that cow to just disappear.

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Potential-Narwhal-@reddit

Like Peter, the 250lb baby https://youtu.be/BTEpruW8fx4?si=aglXytwjruMSZpFP

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erroneousbosh@reddit

> He literally was trying to help these people and make changes to get their restaurants out of trouble, and they’d just turn around and argue “there’s nothing wrong with that.” I'm reminded of a guy I vaguely know (friend of a friend kind of thing) who is in a band. They're a fairly obscure wee scene band but they're quite good. They got a "teatime slot" at a gig where the headline act was Genesis - fucking \*Genesis\*, yet - who were coming on much later in the evening. After their slot Phil Fucking Collins came up to them, "alright lads, your material is great but here's what you need to do, shift that to the encore, cut the solo out of that one entirely, do that one first...". He'd spent nearly an hour watching their set, made notes, and spent 15 minutes of the time he could have been getting pissed in the Green Room telling them how to do it better. They've never really made it big, but the gigs have gone from "just about pays for the van hire" to "pays for a nice holiday every year" kind of money. Because they figured a man with a dozen or so Grammys and Brits probably knew a thing or two more than them.

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ChocoMcChunky@reddit

100%. Imagine being in any profession, and a person at the very highest level comes in and offers to help you be the best you can be. It takes a certain kind of person to not respond positively to that.

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AlGunner@reddit

Kitchen Nightmares is largely staged and they put on a lot of (but not all of) the shouting and arguing.

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mata_dan@reddit

He's also a producer of the show and engineers the drama more...

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erroneousbosh@reddit

Take what you do seriously but don't take yourself seriously. It's the Scottish way.

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jb108822@reddit

He’s also very strong on food hygiene, which is so important.

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arathergenericgay@reddit

As he should - it’s the fundamental thing every restaurant needs to nail regardless of if it’s a greasy spoon or a triple Michelin place

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ChaoticCubizm@reddit

I refuse to eat anywhere that has less than a 5 rating with the Food Standards Agency. If they can’t do something as simple as be clean and hygienic then they don’t get my business.

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TIGHazard@reddit

Technically 3-stars or above is fine. 3 stars means they hit the legal requirements, 4 stars and above means they go above and beyond. https://www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/food-hygiene-rating-scheme > The scheme gives businesses a rating from 5 to 0 which is displayed at their premises and online so you can make more informed choices about where to buy and eat food. > 5 – hygiene standards are very good > 4 – hygiene standards are good > 3 – hygiene standards are generally satisfactory > 2 – some improvement is necessary > 1 – major improvement is necessary > 0 – urgent improvement is required

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New_Pop_8911@reddit

I worked at a place for years that consistently had 5 stars, until we got a new chef who was an absolute 🔔 🔚, he fell out with the kitchen manager and whenever he was on open/close point blank refused to fill in the book recording fridge temps etc, had a spot check and immediately given a 0. Chef was sacked and back to a 5 at next assessment. It was infuriating as apart from him refusing to do the book, everything was actually fine and we'd have kept our 5* and he'd have kept his job. Although he was possibly one of the most unpleasant people I have ever met so everyone was very relieved when he left.

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gobuddy77@reddit

I would also refuse to eat anywhere that has more than 5 stars because they are faking their certificates. If they're doing that then what are they doing about allergen listing or paying tax?

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thewaifandstray@reddit

Same. Honestly having been a restaurant manager for a bit, including going in and helping places struggling restaurants, it boggles me how generous some inspectors are.

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Best_Vegetable9331@reddit

Yes, his restaurant toilet doors don't require hands to open them.

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Missus_Nicola@reddit

I agree, I think of someone is dedicated and trying to learn he's okay. Its people half arsing it that annoys him.

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pajamakitten@reddit

Gordon is critical on the show but only when it is justified. He wants the best out of the contestants but will be harsh when he sees things going wrong.

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weewaawoowah@reddit

A lot of that is for TV though. It literally all just engagement bait. Joe is probably a decent guy irl as much as he makes my blood boil seeing him in master chef clips

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I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit

Even on the original, British version of *Kitchen Nightmares*, he was so much more constructive and less confrontational with the owners. American viewers seem to just love childish drama.

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bigbone1001@reddit

That was a great series

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Foundation_Wrong@reddit

Wow Really? 🤣😉

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Cantbearsed1992@reddit

Amy’s Bakery lol

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regantnz@reddit

You can also tell because there’s a complete scale across his shows from nice to mean. Starts off with Masterchef Junior, Masterchef, Kitchen Nightmares UK, Kitchen and Hotel Nightmares US and finally Hells Kitchen. (Missing some others along the scale)

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crucible@reddit

You missed the bit where his daughter [absolutely murdered him](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sT5mkpdoeU) aged about 13 on her CBBC show.

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spamjavelin@reddit

Or the clip where one of his other ruined him: https://youtube.com/shorts/p3szeghJNA8

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crucible@reddit

Same kid - it’s Tilly in both clips

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spamjavelin@reddit

I didn't have the presence of mind to relate Tilly to Matilda on account of having the dumb, it would appear... 😂

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cactusplants@reddit

I mean he seemed a good guy on the og stuff here in the UK. But honestly, I'd lose my shit if I were him and seeing restaurants behave like they do.

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Fantastic-Cat-5252@reddit

Also, I used to deliver GR’s shopping when he was in Cornwall, and as much as he parks like a prat and has been known to piss of the locals, he and his wife were always genuinely lovely to us. Far more pleasant than most other customers 👍

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Triordie@reddit

Watch the old footage of him from a fly on wall program in his own kitchen. He was awful.

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Triordie@reddit

Boiling point

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AllHailTheHypnoTurd@reddit

Maybe these days, he was actually disgusting to be in the same room as when he was a young chef, a real piece of shit back in the day.

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PreparationOk1450@reddit

Whoa.

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CareBearCartel@reddit

YouTube has hells kitchen unedited footage now. The way it's edited makes it look like he goes off straight away on them, but I don't know anyone that wouldn't lose their shit with how awful some of these "professional chefs" are in the kitchen.

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WoolyCrafter@reddit

I saw a show where his eldest went and spent a fortnight living how Gordon did as a kid. That lad was an absolute gem, really kind, very accepting, so grateful for what he had and so sad about how hard Gordon's childhood had been. But the best bit was when he went home. As he walked in the house, Gordon appeared and how much they love each other was plastered all over their faces. One of the best things I've ever seen on TV!

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Strict_Hovercraft358@reddit

You can honestly see or say the same things with his daughters especially Holly and Matilda (Tilly). The oldest Megan doesn't appear on social media that often but you can tell when he's around his daughters he's a complete girl dad so it makes sense.

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Specialist-Mud-6650@reddit

I saw this and I got the impression he was such a well brought up young man. Like if he was my son, I'd have been well proud of his conduct. I think he's a marine now.

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Bindaloo@reddit

I thought the same. He seemed like a lovely, kind, humble and empathetic kid and tbh I wasn't really expecting that. He's an absolute credit to his parents.

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EldritchCleavage@reddit

Yes. I was quite impressed that he went in for something so demanding. No feather-bedding by Dad there.

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SamantherPantha@reddit

Oh this sounds great, don’t suppose you remember what the show was called?

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Cam_Sco@reddit

Jack's also a Royal Marine Commando now.

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Traditional_Fox2428@reddit

Born Famous: Gordon Ramsay 10pm, Channel 4 What kind of life would celebrity offspring have if their parents weren’t famous? This new show investigates. First up is Gordon Ramsay’s son Jack, who swaps the family home for Banbury’s Bretch Hill estate, where his dad grew up. Ramsay’s upbringing shaped his character: he is, of course, the man who can whip up a filet mignon and fire f-bombs into flailing chefs’ faces. His family have proved camera-friendly in previous shows, but how will mild-mannered Jack fare here?

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SamantherPantha@reddit

Brilliant, thank you.

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StuckWithThisOne@reddit

His eldest kid is a girl

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WoolyCrafter@reddit

Ah yes, it was Jack.

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SoulBlightRaveLords@reddit

Hes usually quite friendly in the UK versions of his shows. He really amps up the angry chef gimmick in the US shows because they love that character

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SeaweedClean5087@reddit

He learned it from his past irl boss who was the the youngest chef ever to get 3 Michelin stars. I don't think gr has ever held 3 anywhere

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thenofootcanman@reddit

I remember him saying bullying in the workplace makes for better employees. It may be an act but it has real world consequences

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jeversol@reddit

I think the most genuine he has been on US shows that aren’t kids shows is the scene of him describing the apple pie to Christine on Masterchef. She has very impaired sight and was upset about her pie. https://youtu.be/WIGXboHpge0

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Late-Development-666@reddit

I don’t think the boiling point show was all an act. He was up to his eyeballs in stress, trying to get that third Michelin star and maintaining perfection week in week out.

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Bindaloo@reddit

He'd taken his fair share of that training under Marco Pierre White - "I didn't make Gordon Ramsay cry, he *chose* to cry".

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7148675309@reddit

It’s clearly for TV when you see the difference between UK and US Kitchen Nightmaresx

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SleipnirSolid@reddit

It is now. But it developed for a reason. Many moons ago his first appearances on TV (90s) had him kicking staff in the legs and arse, hitting them with pans, etc. Screaming absolute bloody murder constantly, not occasionally like now. It was horrifying to see as a kid/teen. A grown man, kicking the shit out of people on TV. My mum was wondering when he was going to be arrested. I asked a chef friend in the early 00s what he thought of Ramsey and he said "it's pretty normal in some kitchens. It's very high pressure". He said no one would report him cos it's expected to be able to deal with it to go far in the industry. It's strange seeing the evolution of his career over 30+yrs. Turning genuine viciousness into a performance. NB. I'm not judging him as bad or good btw. People change, times change. Just pointing out some history people may have forgotten/not know.

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Da5ren@reddit

He’s really quite shy in real life. I have a friend who interviewed him and said he was really awkward and couldn’t look directly at them. You can see it when you watch his shows.

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Grimdotdotdot@reddit

Didn't he win a libel case against a newspaper that suggested the same thing?

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jimyjesuscheesypenis@reddit

Apart from cheating on his wife.

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Blue-flash@reddit

I’m not even sure it’s mean. It’s just exasperated with people who surely should know how to do better.

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Adanar01@reddit

Gordon Ramsays son on the other hand is an earthshakingly nasty kid

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Garxgarb@reddit

How so?

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Adanar01@reddit

My BIL went to university with him. He was very much a "do you know who my father is?" To get away with just being unpleasant to people in every capacity. Be it other students, lecturers, bar staff etc

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Aggressive_Chuck@reddit

That is probably the weakest claim to fame in history.

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Grand_Measurement_91@reddit

My sister in law was pissed on by Fearne cottton’s tortoise. Weaker or stronger?

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Adanar01@reddit

If you mean on my part then yeah I guess? If you mean on his then yeah he allegedly wasn't all that bright.

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British_Flippancy@reddit

Oh?! Go on…

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MrBoggles123@reddit

I met Ramsey about 20 years ago in a Toronto bookshop. He was going to do a signing and was browsing the cook books section while I was looking for a cheap guide to Toronto food. He told me about an amazing breakfast place. When I went the following morning he was there and waved at me.

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JesusofNazareth_@reddit

I know it's mundane but there's something so funny to me about Gordon Ramsey browsing the cookbook section of a bookshop.

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MrBoggles123@reddit

I suspect it was more of a "move my books to the front" type browse rather than "what shall I buy."

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showmm@reddit

You say that, but there is a huge difference in the cookbooks available to browse in a British bookshop vs a Canadian (and presumably American) one. Sure, some of the top writers/chefs will be the same, but generally I’ve found them to have nearly entirely different books. So he could be browsing for inspiration, you never know!

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Tigermasterdude@reddit

I love stories like this! Celebrities being nice when they don't have to be!

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Desperate-Drama-8211@reddit

What about the fly on the wall documentary he did early in his career, boiling point? He was physically and verbally abusive to his staff, I don't think that was playing up to the cameras, but maybe he has softened throughout the years

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

What’s your job? Imagine the worst thing that can happen. No let me film you with a camera in your face the whole time. Don’t know about you but if that’s me I’m not coming across very well personally

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grazzac@reddit

Worth knowing that that was months of filming condensed down into 45 minutes of broadcasting. They cherry picked the most "dramatic" scenes to heighten the tension.

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GarrodRanX2@reddit

He was under a lot of pressure in that show. It was the opening night of his new restaurant Petrus in Knightsbridge, and the air con died. No excuse of course, i particularly didn't like the way he was dragging his chefs around by the collar and threatening to bump them down to commis. Personally i think he used to be like this but has mellowed over the years.

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Strict_Hovercraft358@reddit

It was the opening night of his flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in 1998. He opened Petrus the next year in 1999 with Marcus Wareing was the head chef. Boiling Point was at his now flagship Restaurant Gordon Ramsay: the extration fan had gone broke, it was intensly hot in the kitchen, and he was on the hook for 1.2 million pounds, nevermind his wife had just had their 1st child Meghan, among other pressure so the restaurant had to work. Not excusing the behaviour, just providing context regarding the pressures.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Gordon is absolutely lovely, don’t believe the hype, especially by bell ends like Vincenzo on Facebook. Absolute gentleman.

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CrackersCloacas@reddit

Big brag here but me and my husband just did the Chef’s table experience at the Ramsey restaurant in The Savoy last night and it was amazing. The food was top notch but what we noticed and talked about was how happy all the chefs and kitchen hands looked, one woman worked tirelessly on potatoes the whole time we were there (4+ hours) and was honestly smiling the whole time! Everyone who came in to explain dishes to us was calm and happy and we didn’t see a sad face the whole evening. The atmosphere was amazing! https://preview.redd.it/ag3ngd4kz70g1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db5351f15fd2c2aef2d6c051fb97d657ab855404

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Sendintheaardwolves@reddit

A friend of mine worked on a documentary with Gordon and said he was absolutely lovely. Won't hear a word against him and confirmed that all the shouting and swearing and going on about his (and other people's) balls is just for the camera. I still find the shouty sweary schtick tedious though.

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roastedbeetsalad@reddit

I waited tables in Las Vegas and he sat at one of my tables once. Absolute class act.

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dietcokeandsmoking@reddit

By the way. It’s mine and Ramsay’s birthday. November 8th. Happy birthday to us :))

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gameofgroans_@reddit

And either his wife or his daughters too! Happy birthday!

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Extension-Card-1324@reddit

Oh wow my ex's too. Happy birthday to you all.

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Natural_Computer4312@reddit

Happy Birthday both of you.

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Abject_Tumbleweed413@reddit

Mine too!!

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sunflowergirrrl@reddit

Happy Birthday ☺️

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The_Blonde1@reddit

Happy birthday! I hope you’re having a lovely day x

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vinpetrol@reddit

Ooh, mine too. I did not know this. Thanks for the info. And happy birthday!

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Chronically_Quirky@reddit

🎉🎉

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Responsible-Cap-8311@reddit

Happy bday

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Twenty_Ten@reddit

Happy Birthday!

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dietcokeandsmoking@reddit

Thank you !

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MrBarberella@reddit

As a keen listener of Dish, I would have been devastated to find out Angela wasn’t as lovely as she seems to be.

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Hour_Ad_7691@reddit

I knew someone that worked for Gordan Ramsey alongside him in the kitchen, he said he was absolutely lovely, and was great to work for and wouldn't have a bad word said about him. He really looked after this staff. Sorry.

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Natural_Computer4312@reddit

Yep. I had the pleasure of working with him back in the day before fame and fortune (and in my case, competence). He is a perfectly nice, extremely focused and talented chef. Also, one of the few chefs I worked with who weren’t into caning coke etc at every opportunity!

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happyhippieelizabeth@reddit

My little cousin's best friend is Gordon Ramsey's niece, and she tells me he's lovely and that it is just for TV. Also, Mark Lamont, head chef of the company PBDevco and Aberdeen's Vovem restaurant is a good guy to work for! He was on Adam Richman's Man Vs Food

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pienofilling@reddit

Years ago I heard from a TV producer that Gordon Ramsey was really nice and would happily pitch in with carrying the crew's gear in and out.

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Madamemercury1993@reddit

Love hearing this. I really like Angela Hartnett. She seems the type that would do anything for the hard workers but woe betide anyone who messes her around.

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Pyjama-party@reddit

Thanks for confirming that Angela Hartnett is a genuinely good person ✨

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Norfolkboy123@reddit

Angela always seems firm but fair, she’s got the best laugh also

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qbnaith@reddit

I know many people who’ve worked with Ramsey - everyone always says he’s a delight.

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heretek10010@reddit

Yeah my manager used to work in a kitchen with Gordon and said he was so brilliant to work for.

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No-Structure-1980@reddit

I took a friend to Murano for their 50th. It was a bit dark when the photo was going to be taken so the kind server turned up the lights and Angela shouted at him.

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Oghamstoner@reddit

I’ve heard this about Ramsay too, that the rage and cussing are mostly for the cameras.

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

Judging by how much he annoys me for no apparent reason, I really hope someone can confirm James Martin is a right prick. Always good to have your baseless prejudices backed up. I’d be a bit gutted if someone said what a lovely bloke he was.

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sshiverandshake@reddit

I have this gut instinct with Rick Stein. Nothing at all to support it, but I really feel like he'd be a condescending crock of shite.

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PositiveUniversity80@reddit

My MiL went to a book signing of his a few years ago and proudly announced she loved falling asleep to his shows (she meant she found them extremely relaxing to watch, but got flustered) and he immediatey burst out laughing and they had a 5 minute chat. Seems to be a perfectly normal chap tbh.

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boldstrategy@reddit

Can vouch, Rick Stein is probably one of the loveliest tv cooks, did a pr job with him and he came in and gave everyone a personal thanks and a mention the event and he will make sure you get a free fish and chips. Amazingly I went to Cornwall a year later, jokingly mentioned it and they gave it to me and my partner for free.

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

So glad to hear all the Rick Stein love, my wife and I both adore him!

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

I mean other than the fact he’s a cheating bastard and fucked his wife over several times. Bloody Reddit!

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Tacoislife2@reddit

Haha I’m distantly related to Rick stein through his brother in law (tbf quite distant relative) and both times I went to his restaurants I got charged full price! I’ve heard he’s lovely.

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justameercat@reddit

He once gave up his table for me in a London restaurant. He didn’t need to but he did anyway. I think he’s probably a bit shy and grumpy but essentially a nice guy.

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zagreus9@reddit

My uni mate was Stein's sommelier for a few years. Apparently he's actually lovely, sorry.

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WellGreenToffee@reddit

Relieved - I’ve always thought he would be lush as my Grandad.

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sshiverandshake@reddit

Damn, fair enough.

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Retiredandrelaxed@reddit

I’m glad to hear that, my favourite travel documentary chef

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vonsnape@reddit

he was polite to me on social media earlier this year when i got berry picking season wrong, if that helps

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VioletsSoul@reddit

I'd heard he was a bit overly familiar with the ladies on staff and I've gone off him ever since. Plus it's depressing walking round Padstow these days

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LowarnFox@reddit

I've heard he's very nice in person but what he's done to the town of Padstow in effectively forcing local people and tourists out and turning it into a weird theme park of a place is genuinely shit.

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

I work as a bookseller in a small shop in the north east of England, and Rick has done two signings with us in recent years, because he wants to support areas that are away from London and the big cities; he's absolutely lovely to work with, and a bit shy. Both times, he's stayed as long as needed to sign something personal (rather than just his name) in everyone's book. I too apologise!

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Fun_Passage_9167@reddit

He once wrote in his Daily Mail column how much he hates cyclists and enjoys blasting his horn at them to scare them. That seemed kinda telling about his character.

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dwhite21787@reddit

I recall an interview with Patrick Stewart and he said when he (was) driving if he saw a squirrel he would try to hit it. Such a great actor, I’m not sure he wasn’t serious.

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Gent415@reddit

A bit of context - grey squirrels in the UK are invasive and something of a pest. Not saying it's ok to run them over though!

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dwhite21787@reddit

I still feel bad about this - about 10 years ago I was driving on a B road in the middle of a pack of cars and a pheasant popped out of a hedge and bounced off the grille. It was a narrow road with no laybys, traffic was moving so I had to keep going. I don’t know what I could’ve done if I’d been able to stop.

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CmdrKerans@reddit

Don’t feel bad about Pheasants, they’re effectively an invasive species dumped in the countryside for the sport (and relatively rare consumption) of a tiny number of people. You did the local wildlife a favour as they could eat it up instead of competing with it!

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theonetruelippy@reddit

Stewart has a reputation for being a complete bell end/grumpy arse so the story fits.

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AdAdministrative7804@reddit

He probably was serious If he specifically said grey squirrel then definately was. Ithink most older celeberities are only nice because how how the tv guys edit bits and are probably all some level of up their own arse. Derek jacobi for example gives me big twit vibes

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gadansk@reddit

There's a part in the latest Alan Partridge book about him. I didn't think it seemed too far from the truth.

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chocolatecake1111@reddit

Maybe because he can't fit on one 🤔

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birchbarn@reddit

Been a grade A cunt in my eyes since that time. The fucker seemed to revel in that anecdote.

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clammy_biscuit@reddit

Having a daily mail column also tells about his character.

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Dark_Foggy_Evenings@reddit

I genuinely thought the cover of his book ‘Butter’ was a joke. Him, gripping a lump of butter in what is a *clearly* dirty fist and looking at it like he’s about to shag it. It’s fucking repulsive. And real. https://preview.redd.it/xtobhhlm620g1.jpeg?width=737&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=376bd0b8ebd2a1520a98786a384b98e6c233f10d

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Lychee_Only@reddit

The fat repulsive cuntcooks everything in too much butter. Makes everything a bit grim for me. Is he even a decent chef? He cooked under that other Yorkshire chef that was famous as the OG This Morning cook. I always thought he was more of a tv cook that opened a few restaurants and airport slop houses off the back of Saturday Kitchen. His current show on ITV is standard cheap ITV tv with d list celebs.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

He gained a Michelin star. No matter what you feel about him, I don’t think anyone on this Reddit realises how hard it is to get a star. Cunt or no cunt.

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ResponsibleCollar172@reddit

I think they're referring to James Martin, not Brian Turner. Martin has never won a Michelin star.

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thewaifandstray@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/rclay6sirb0g1.png?width=1080&format=png&auto=webp&s=c372ec55a266eefc7d5b651258a9d9e93a043b14

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mrsbergstrom@reddit

Bet he pissed off the publisher and graphic designer, that’s a right stitch up 🤣

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rimarshall99@reddit

I took 3 chef apprentices to a talk by him. Was meant to be about his food and passion for the industry. He had a slide show presentation of his cars. The guy is a grade a cunt. I told him afterwards .

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SkipsH@reddit

I had a presentation by one of my design heroes at the end of my Graphic Design degree. He spent the entire lecture telling us how a font he had created could unify Ireland.

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SpudFire@reddit

I hope it was comic sans

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HighWaterSheriff@reddit

Maybe it was Trebuchet MS. Someone at my work used it for a form I had to fill out the other day - I hadn’t encountered that one for about 23 years back when I thought it looked very sophisticated for my history homework and I thought it was pronounced “Trebucket”.

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miscfiles@reddit

"Trebuchet residence. Lady of the house speaking!"

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National_Ease_1487@reddit

Absolute gold

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goingdeafforaliving@reddit

That's a phenomenal joke. Hat tip, squire.

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teveelion@reddit

Take my grudging upvote you bastard.

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badtpuchpanda@reddit

Comic Bobby Sands?

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erroneousbosh@reddit

Has that got like a really really light body?

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blackleydynamo@reddit

A-maze-ing

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Baggins_1420@reddit

Ouch! Tried to find a pun the other name but failed.

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rachelm791@reddit

Wine spurt - well done👏

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mrsbergstrom@reddit

🏆

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Delicious-Photo-835@reddit

Hahaha u've won the internet for me today

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Bruno241221@reddit

Underrated joke.

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spingledoink@reddit

808080

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BiscuitBoy77@reddit

With each letter in a different colour

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TonyBalonyUK@reddit

Wingdings enter the chat

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fantasticdave74@reddit

No Bobby Sands

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didndonoffin@reddit

All of stormonts letters are printed in comic sans….

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DTH2001@reddit

United in hatred is still united

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sudden-arboreal-stop@reddit

🤛🏽

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AspectPatio@reddit

Well let's hear him out because no one else has any ideas

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FR0Z3NF15H@reddit

Atheism...

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Maybe_not_a_chicken@reddit

That’s a very reductive view of The Troubles

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FR0Z3NF15H@reddit

No it absolutely is reductive. That being said, I can't decide if I think atheism would reduce some elements of the violence or there would just be some other tribalism utilised to perpetuate it. To be clear. I'm not saying the troubles is purely tribal, just that there is some tribalism element within it.

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DukeOfWellington1291@reddit

Yeah but are you a catholic atheist or a Protestant one?

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Hard_Dave@reddit

https://preview.redd.it/w6r8yr4te60g1.jpeg?width=794&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a9e98e5f39b8ff3e6eecd92e451235fd46dbefe Like this Catholic font? Maybe it'd work

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uk100@reddit

Jonathan Barnbrook?

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Worried_Insurance_19@reddit

Is he the knowledge of all fonts ?

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SkipsH@reddit

You know your fonts

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2000intentions@reddit

I'm guessing that was his NI resolution font? Lol. Going to have to go down a font wormhole now.

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uk100@reddit

No higher praise 👍

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Jumper-Man@reddit

Was it [Papyrus?](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jVhlJNJopOQ)

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Sir_Madfly@reddit

It took me way too long to realise you were talking about a set of character designs, not a baptismal aid.

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Zer0_Tru7h@reddit

I think we may have had the same lecturer, he went on and on about his book and how good he was. I sat through hours of kerning and felt like my brain was falling out my ear the entire time.

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bearman-bao@reddit

Oh man I went to a graphic design weekend of lectures and the attitudes put me off being a graphic designer. “Graphic design will save the world” kept coming up. Self righteous nonsense that’s so disconnected from real people

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SkipsH@reddit

What put me off was some graphic designers being super happy the could advertise to people at the bottom of pint glasses now.

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smash993@reddit

Yup, friend of mine was a chef and he said the exact same. It put him off the whole industry so he changed careers cause of how much of a twat behind closed doors he was.

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rimarshall99@reddit

Ah that’s really sad.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

It’s not true. He’s a gentleman

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TooMuchBrightness@reddit

This is EXACTLY what I would expect him to do 😂😂😂🤮

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haikoup@reddit

No you didn't

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rimarshall99@reddit

I mean. I did. Not like I have anything to gain by lying on the internet about fucking James Martin 😅😅. I didn’t outright call him a cunt, but I did speak to him after and said that my 3 young chefs were incredibly let down by his presentation and I didn’t feel it fitted the brief of what he was booked for. Is that better for you

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haikoup@reddit

So you didn’t call him a cunt. I was right.

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DV_Zero_One@reddit

He rage quit the BBC because he was so butt hurt about not getting the Top Gear job when the OG 3 left.

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GlamGemini@reddit

I read that his ex girlfriend bought him a fancy expensive car and he refused it because she earned more than him or something stupid like that

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DV_Zero_One@reddit

Yup. Barbara Broccoli, a film producer (whose family owns the rights to the James Bond movie franchise) wanted to buy him an Aston iirc. It takes a whole new level of narcissism to refuse a gift from a loved one because it makes you feel insecure.

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GlamGemini@reddit

I remember reading it and thinking wow how rude do you have to be. I wasn't keen on him to start with but thats a whole other level.

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FALIX_@reddit

Have you read/listened Alan Partridge's latest book 'Big Beacon'? James Martin is essentially the villain character and there are quite a few scenes with him acting like a prick, and there are several refences to his cars - its so good, if you haven't checked it out I highly recommend.

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rimarshall99@reddit

Sounds brilliant. Will have a look

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Dr_Nefarious_@reddit

Hahaha good work on telling him

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sunflowergirrrl@reddit

Happy cake day ☺️

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Dr_Nefarious_@reddit

Thanks, I didn't realise it was today

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ClassroomDowntown664@reddit

to be fair he does have some cool cars

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Peas-and-Butterflies@reddit

Did ye aye?

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rimarshall99@reddit

Yeah I did thanks.

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catchyusername4867@reddit

You actually said “oi mate, you’re a cunt”? Would love an elaboration

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

This makes me so happy 😂

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Shitsinhandandclaps@reddit

Good. He looks and sounds like a cunt. Glad you told him.

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PigTailedShorty@reddit

I know someone who works in a university, she deals with the hotel, tourism and hospitality students. Apparently when he came in for some event with them he treated everyone like dirt then when he was finished just threw his chefs whites on the changing room floor. The hairy bikers were at another event that the students were at (might have been a BBC thing) and they were lovely and really cool with the students.

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Midnights_with_me@reddit

He did a cooking demo stall at an event put on by somewhere I used to work and while I wasn't directly involved, none of our staff had a nice thing to say about him after, just said he was rude and up his own arse so seems like a theme. He often seemed actually mean on Saturday Kitchen, hiding being a real twat behind teasing.

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Wooden-Pepper7252@reddit

I always got the sense he was a bully when he was on Saturday Kitchen. I remember one occasion when he took great glee in revealing an embarrassing secret about one of the crew on live TV. What a piece of crap.

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Firthy2002@reddit

I've never heard anyone say a bad word about the hairy bikers.

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thejonathanpalmer@reddit

My sister is a home ec and she worked with them. Said they were absolutely useless, couldn't cook to save their lives and weren't particularly nice people. She may have caught them on an off day, of course…

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weirdi_beardi@reddit

I used to work in Barrow in Furness; I used to see Dave Myers on the train to Foxfield (there's a craft brewery there that he used to love). He'd be sitting on the last train, with usually three or four other people around him, being the absolute life and soul of the party, a real lovely bloke. Fuck cancer.

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Thirkilla@reddit

A mate worked for JM - said he was an utter prick

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ThePodd222@reddit

A friend met him at an event and said he was full of himself. He announced to the room my friend was coming on to him when she was just talking about how where she lived.

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EnvironmentalPay6392@reddit

Seeing all the hate towards him on this post has made me so happy, I’ve never liked the fucker on TV and seriously never understood why TV shows have him on. Fella has nothing but love for himself and isn’t even slightly embarrassed by it

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TooMuchBrightness@reddit

Omg I hate him too 😂🤣 I think it’s a particular variety of British man that he is, that winds me up! He’s snobby as fuck but pretends to be ‘salt of the earth’, ‘ simple, honest, northern bloke’. He talks over women all the time and belittles his guests for ‘banter’. I’ve met lots of them and would happily push him over for fun… I can’t, I’m a small women who would never!

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grunt56@reddit

Judging from the replies to this, I can only assume that James Martin can see the future, saw your comment, and if anything, has taken things too far

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SendMeANicePM@reddit

He forever bangs on about how he is Yorkshire this and Yorkshire that and that it's the best part of the country. He lives in Southampton.

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reginalduk@reddit

How can you tell someone is from Yorkshire? Don't worry, they'll tell you.

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blackleydynamo@reddit

Only once they've left. The number of professional Yorkshiremen living in the home counties is off t'chart. Bit like scousers, who love to tell you about how salt of the earth Liverpool is and then can't get out fast enough once they've got a few quid.

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spingledoink@reddit

People from Yorkshire have big helmets.... Because they are tight fisted wankers....

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Natural_Computer4312@reddit

I’m from Yorkshire, never heard that before and it made me properly lol. Also, probably related, I left Yorkshire about 20 years ago and never have looked back.

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turnipturnipturnip2@reddit

Same for people who use linux or are vegan lol.

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Jumpy-Jello-@reddit

Hi, I'm vegan.

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TheDaemonette@reddit

He lives in the New Forest, not Southampton. I know because I also live in the New Forest.

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SendMeANicePM@reddit

Ah right which bit of Yorkshire is that?

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TheDaemonette@reddit

Take a look at a map.

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SendMeANicePM@reddit

Woosh!

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TheDaemonette@reddit

No, I got it. I was just being facetious.

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SendMeANicePM@reddit

Then have an upvote. I'm a big fan of facetious.

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dirtymurt@reddit

You can always tell a Yorkshireman but you can't tell him much

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mightytonto@reddit

How do you know if a Yorkshireman is dyslexic? He’ll be wearing a catflap on his head

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Sendhimoffdiabolical@reddit

I've noticed you get a lot of folk like that. They tend to have very slight accent and look down on Yorkshire people with thick accents.

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Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit

Yeah I've always thought he was a prick. Especially when he did that car racing series. We laughed when his car broke down and he sat on the kerb crying.

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Fresh-Pea4932@reddit

I was about to mention this, was the Mille Miglia iirc. I also seem to recall something about he brought his girlfriend along as navigator/copilot for the event, then ditched her at the last minute for someone else?

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thejonathanpalmer@reddit

Yes. Annoyingly, doesn't seem to be on YT or anywhere else online. He spoke to all these really experienced people then totally ignored their advice, spent a fortune on a good-looking car, thrashed it then bleated about not finishing the race. Also made a load of sexist remarks about a female driver not being able to reverse/parallel park etc. Absolute tool.

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Lunchy_Bunsworth@reddit

IIRC that was also the one where he spent a large sum of money having his car restored and then entered it for the race without going through the running-in process which you have to do with rebuilt engines. Especially those on vintage and veteran cars - ie not exceeding a certain number of revs for a certain mileage , changing the oil and fluids , checking the tension of the cylinder head and head gasket , timing etc. Instead the silly sod drove it at high speeds and then he wondered why the engine blew.

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jinglesan@reddit

I think his engine is the only thing I've enjoyed watching him cook

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mediocrityindepth@reddit

What also added to the joy of him lunching the engine was that he *already owned* two eligible cars but, of course, they weren’t fast enough so he spent £700k on the Maserati plus the rebuild to then blow it up on day two because he knew better. IIRC he then took a bath on selling said Maserati on account of there being televisual proof he’d treated it like a dickhead. One of the best programs the BBC has ever shown really.

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Shytalk123@reddit

This - wanker

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crucible@reddit

Always remember the bit when she was labelling the dash switches with a Sharpie and he had a right go at her..

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

Haha haven’t seen that but sounds like it’d be enjoyable 🤣

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Crittenberger@reddit

James Martin apparently hates it when attractive women come up to him to tell him that their mums fancy him

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wringtonpete@reddit

Oi James, my nan fancies you ♥️

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SecretRush1919@reddit

You turned my nan straight James

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GnaphaliumUliginosum@reddit

Oi James, even my nan thinks you're a minger.

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mrbadger2000@reddit

We call him 'Nan-Bait'

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wotugonado@reddit

Good news for you, direct quote "he's a complete tool". He did a series at a hospital about providing better food with less waste, years back, and this quote is from my friend who was part of the hospital staff that had to interact with him off camera. Also one of the catering staff made too much custard which was thrown away, which contradicted his message about waste, so he got them the sacked.

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SpudFire@reddit

There's no such thing as too much custard. There's only custard or not enough custard.

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GlamGemini@reddit

I always think with the amount of butter he puts in things, there must be some giant room somewhere with wall to wall packs of lurpsk 🤣

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GnaphaliumUliginosum@reddit

Sometimes there's not enough pudding to have with the custard, but that's not an issue if sufficient custard is present.

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RoboTon78@reddit

You are very wise, this should be the principal tenet of a new religion. If you begin recruiting apostles, count me in.

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wotugonado@reddit

There is for Martin, another reason to distrust the man.

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Awayebam@reddit

Hear hear! Are we related?

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DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit

OK, with the getting someone sacked story, Martin wins this whole thread. That goes far beyond just being a prick.

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wotugonado@reddit

Yep, face saving exercise on his part imo.

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

Wonderful 😂

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wotugonado@reddit

Trust your gut 😀

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ghotiboy77@reddit

My partner went to a thing on a boat where he was cooking for the audience. After the show she and her friend went up to get his autograph and he looked them up and down, sneered 'piss off' and went back to his drink. They were both heartbroken, although now she hates him to death.

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-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit

Never worked for him myself but I was a chef in the talbot malton after he left, no one had anything nice to say about him.

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

Wonderful stuff 😍😂

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PuffinLuffin_82@reddit

I cannot stress enough how much I am living for the unbridled joy you exhibit every time someone confirms James Martin is a massive cunt 😂😂

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-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit

Happy to help

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ThingOld9136@reddit

I’ve heard horrendous stories regarding J Martin , I know a few chefs were disappointed he wasn’t cancelled a while back

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FALIX_@reddit

Have you read/listened Alan Partridge's latest book 'Big Beacon'? James Martin is essentially the villain character and there are several scenes with him acting like a prick, and there are several refences to his cars - its so good, if you haven't checked it out I highly recommend.

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mrsbergstrom@reddit

There’s nothing baseless about it; there is zero chance he’s anything but a prick

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LostPhoto8612@reddit

Went on Saturday kitchen as one of the general public guests that get to try the food and can confirm he is completely full of himself. A small set up studio not loads of people and he couldn’t even hold a 5 minute conversation with us. Certainly didn’t like it when he was going on about the dish he was making and we dared ask a question. If looks could kill….

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chroniccomplexcase@reddit

Not in the kitchen, but a family member worked with him and said he was “borderline prick” (their actual words). That he thanked everyone and treated everyone with professional courtesy so no- “don’t you know who I am?” or “you’re just a studio runner, you don’t matter” sort of behaviour. But like it was a real struggle for him to not show his true colours and so much of what he said and did, didn’t come across as like he meant it. They said it stood out more because the others there were genuinely lovely. So he either saw this and thought “gosh I’ve got to step up and not stand out like a massive prick” to protect his job or he is hot headed and quick to kick off but knows this and so tried hard to not let it happen.

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Pattatilla@reddit

James Martin is lovely (I used to work for a business he bought produce from in the v early 2000s) but has a history of going after women 20 years junior on Raya. Not a crime but letchy.

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allymacster@reddit

I met James Martin years ago when I was volunteering at a charity event and he was as much an arrogant tosspot as you would expect. It was an evening cookery demo with him and Brian Turner and I have to say that it was such an entertaining event with the pair of them, however, my mum approached James at the end of the evening to tell him what a fabulous evening it had been. He looked at my mum and without acknowledging her in any way turned to his girlfriend and said “[girlfriend’s name] come on, we’re going” and left. I haven’t watched him on tv since then. On the flip side I met Mary Berry a few years later. She was making an appearance at my work and I escaped on my break to get my book signed. I asked if I could leave my book to be signed and I’d pick it up when I finished work. Instead, I was taken backstage where Mary was nattering with Alan Titchmarsh. I explained how I’d run over on my break and how thankful I was that she would do this for me. She squeezed my arm and thanked me and it was as wholesome an experience as I had hoped for.

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CocoRufus@reddit

My parents met him on a cruise, they ended up sitting and chatting for an hour over a drink. My mum was definitely a little bit in love. My no nonsense aussie dad said he was a good bloke. Maybe they caught him on a good day when he was relaxed

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kneedeepinclungge@reddit

Don't know what he's like, but he's huge - saw him in a local restaurant and he made the chair look like kids furniture.

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atrocious_smell@reddit

You can tell how much of a knob he is by how he interacted with the normal guests on Saturday Kitchen vs how he interacts with the (normal C-tier) celebrities. Basically asked perfunctory questions to the normal people and didn't listen to their answers. Even without all the corroboration in this thread I'd have bet my house on him being a complete a-hole in person.

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OblivionWithBells101@reddit

I came hear looking for the same! based on nothing he does appear to me to be a tool.

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kuklinka@reddit

I didn’t work for him but met him for media events twice in Singapore and he was a colossal twat- we were talking about motorbikes annd he was all “i bet you couldn’t afford my bike, it’s a Ducati” and “my girlfriend is a beauty queen” (i was there with my husband) on the otber hand, both Hairy Bikers were lovely, as were the Teletubbies

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Ok-Salary3550@reddit

> as were the Teletubbies You say this but I've heard rumours about Tinky Winky and what he does with his "tubby custard"

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-DWAESQ-@reddit

I served him in a bar once, and I stand by the fact that he’s the most insufferable man I’ve ever met.

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thombthumb84@reddit

Handsy with his teenage staff. Grim!

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DV_Zero_One@reddit

He rage quit the BBC because they wouldn't give him the Top Gear job bitd.

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PenlyWarfold@reddit

Met him a few times, years ago. Complete bellsniff

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MattGSJ@reddit

I’ve disliked him for a very long time so was about to weigh in with the many stories I’ve read / been sent over the years, but I’m delighted that so many others seem to have been collating the same stories! A truly massive cunt / bully / self-centred wanker that would put his name to absolutely anything for a few quid.

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NoNameSandwich@reddit

I can confirm that James Martin is a right prick 👍

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slainascully@reddit

Partner used to know a girl who worked at one of his restaurants and he was a renowned prick. Very ‘don’t you know who I am?’

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MaintenanceNo1504@reddit

My friend worked for him and said he was horrible to work for- a real bully

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

Fantastic 😂

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WrongExplanation1065@reddit

Heard that he's a knob to work with on TV

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TheBristolBulk@reddit

This makes me happy

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Morris_Alanisette@reddit

I haven't worked for him or ever met him but I've thought he was a prick since his rant against cyclists: [https://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2009/sep/15/james-martin-cyclists](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2009/sep/15/james-martin-cyclists)

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Far_Requirement7954@reddit

He did an event I helped organise at the SU at Uni and he was a weapons grade prick.

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AtJackBaldwin@reddit

I used to live near him (next village along) and we went to his local sometimes. Never bumped into him but he seemed relatively well thought of. The landlord Matt has been on his show a couple of times too

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Altruistic-Table5859@reddit

There's a chef here in Ireland who brought his commis chefs to Ramseys restaurant in London. The maitre d' who knew they were trainee chefs, asked if they would like to meet him. They were delighted. He brought them to the kitchen after service to have MR Ramsey just walk past them as if they weren't there. What a way to treat young trainees. The chef who took them over there is as famous here as Ramsey is. He was disgusted with how they were treated.

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vikingraider47@reddit

My nephew used to work for Bryn Williams and he said he was a nice bloke

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rachelm791@reddit

And his wife told Elizabeth Hurley to fuck off in a dinner party so as a pair they both rate.

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gmisk81@reddit

Sharleen Spiteri! Always liked her

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gribski-rules@reddit

My mate knows him - he’s lovely.

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rimarshall99@reddit

I have a few James Martin as I mentioned earlier. Bell end. Ramsay. Nice guy. Tv persona does not match the man John torode. Bell end.

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Gent415@reddit

I was on the Isles of Scilly at the tail end of lockdown when he was filming there. He was being a real prick, refusing to wear a mask indoors and socially distance etc. (even though some of the venues could have been prosecuted for this). Then he totally lost it with one of the ferrymen who made a joke about his pink suitcase, giving it the whole do you know who I am, I'm a millionaire spiel. 🔔 end

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spammmmmmmmy@reddit

Does John Torode work the upstairs at Smiths of Smithfield?

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curious_throwaway_55@reddit

Used to live in the same building as John Torode - he always came across as a grumpy prick tbh

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

God I hate John Torode

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StorkSailing@reddit

The things I have heard about Torode from a former Masterchef producer are pretty unpleasant. She made a submission to the inquiry but they fired him for something else which definitely wasn’t his worst offense.

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Soft_Fisherman4506@reddit

Torode a rqally nasty bully at mezzo

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akl78@reddit

Ramsay’s kids had a cooking show of their own, Gordon’s occasionally in the background as a normal dad. They try their food on him.

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Sad-Bag3443@reddit

I found that all a bit cringe but the guy does work hard when you remember all the stuff he does. Kitchen nightmares US is my guilty pleasure!

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Distinct-Ad-9660@reddit

I would love to know what it is like to work at Fallow

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External-Distance337@reddit

Grab yourself a counter table and you can watch the team prep the food. I don’t recall seeing the main guys there, but everyone was super focused on delivering superb quality food. Well worth a visit.

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RandoFace77@reddit

[working at fallow](https://youtu.be/Ipe9xJCfuTM?si=EJDSbQUQGymSeuER) here you go

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Distinct-Ad-9660@reddit

By Fallow....

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wolfhelp@reddit

Yeah me too. I watch the YouTube channel and it's pretty clear one of them is coked up

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JimEdwardoRamos@reddit

Is it!? Which one? 😂 I must be oblivious because I haven't noticed and I love their videos

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wolfhelp@reddit

While I detect some sarcasm 😆 it's the one who is clearly on cocaine

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JimEdwardoRamos@reddit

No genuinely no sarcasm! Is it the stockier northern one?

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wolfhelp@reddit

Watch the video where they cook and taste all the chickens

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JimEdwardoRamos@reddit

I've already seen it but just given it a little rewatch from halfway through and I think I know who you're meaning, his facial expressions are interesting 😂

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wolfhelp@reddit

Go to r/kitchenconfidential a sub named after one if my favourite books The guys their will help

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Too many Americans on that sub with sugar as a main ingredient in absolutely everything

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Distinct-Ad-9660@reddit

Which dish are you desperate to try? Mine are the Croissant Puck breakfasts

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party_rings34@reddit

Thomas straker is absolutely foul - the "all things butter" guy

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Turbulent-Job1905@reddit

Have you got any stories? I was looking through the thread expecting him to get a mention as I was talking about this with a couple friends in the industry who said the same. He gives off such an arrogant vibe.

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party_rings34@reddit

I was working for a space who did a pop up with him when I was 16, he screamed at every single member of staff - there wasn't a member of waitstaff who didn't go home crying that night, totally verbally abusive and his food is typical Dulwich-core perello olives, sambas, and orange wine vibe. It was boring at the time not to mention now!!! Tosser in an Arcteryx beanie! 😅

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ResponsibleCollar172@reddit

There's something about him - seems so arrogant and full of himself. Makes great food though.

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HauntingRefuse6891@reddit

Michael Caines and Rick Stein are by all accounts quite dickish. Though Steins sons are decent. Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall is supposed to be decent though.

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TallyGrenshall@reddit

Fearnely-Whittingstall allegedly likes to watch people sleep. His wife is also a massive cunt

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spittingparasite@reddit

I've heard that it goes a bit further than watching people sleep.

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GerryBaboon@reddit

Pissing on them?

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spittingparasite@reddit

Not piss.

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GerryBaboon@reddit

Oh Cripes. What was it then? My friend’s friend worked for him at his Axminster restaurant. She told us his relationship with his wife was, ahem “open” and one evening they had a staff booze up. She ended up hammered and going back to his flat in town. When she woke up that morning, he’d gone, but the bed was sodden in a foul smelling liquid. She said she believed he’d pissed on her while she slept, and then fucked off. So when you said he “goes a bit further” I thought “crikey, is it true then?!” My band played his Christmas do at the Axminster restaurant. He turned up, did his pieces to camera, as pleasant as they come. Then when they had the shots they needed, he was an insufferable prick, got hammered and then naffed off.

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spittingparasite@reddit

The rumour that's been going round for years is that he likes to jizz all over the hair of sleeping women.

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Flashy-Highlight-857@reddit

I’m sure that when I first heard that, it was as direct as a friends friend that it happened to. So to hear that again now… I can’t believe it all stems from just her.

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GerryBaboon@reddit

No smoke without fire I suppose.

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beehive-cluster@reddit

just goes to show be careful about what you read on here, somebody else above said the complete opposite about the steins

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Esoteric_Prurience@reddit

Not kitchen staff - but I used to work in the events world. I would often have to interact with famous personalities giving after dinner talks/inspirational speeches - many of whom were TV chefs. The vast majority were fine - like everyone else, it was just another day at work for them, and behind the scenes there was no need to be "on" as it were. Normal, professional, people. That all being said the ones who really stood out to me as particularly lovely were: \- Ainsley Harriott, he was really nice, really chatty to everyone and a genuine delight to work with. \- Michel Roux Jr, again a very warming, happy person who was great fun to be around. \- Gordon Ramsey, I confess I was a little nervous to meet him, given his public image, but he was a real professional, great at working with everyone and had such a quick sense of humour. He left a great impression. To be honest of all the people I worked with I never had a bad experience with a TV chef - and, like everyone, we all have our bad days so I wont besmirch anyone here - but I suspect a few of the same names will crop up time and again in this thread. Don't get me wrong, I have worked with some awful, horrible, nasty people who are household names - but TV chefs manage to be in the good group.

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DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit

It's lovely to hear Ainsley Harriott is exactly as nice as you'd expect.

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jpc9129@reddit

Ainsley is an Arsenal fan. Always friendly and happy to talk to other fans and do photos at the games.

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plimso13@reddit

Yes, it means I can continue to wear my T-shirt with Ainsley’s face and the quote “Give your meat a good old rub” without any embarrassment.

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BedaFomm@reddit

You beat me to it!

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thewaifandstray@reddit

So did Ainsley by the sound of it.

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ThunderbunsAreGo@reddit

I didn’t know this even existed and now I’m buying one for my husband as a Christmas stocking filler. Thank you!

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Eldavo69@reddit

I have the “Jim’ll Paint It” Xmas Jumper

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TheSchofe@reddit

I used to live around the corner from him when I first moved to London, I'd see him often and he'd always say good morning to you in the street, just a really positive energy top bloke.

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DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit

I also love that Ainsley used to be in a comedy double act called The Calypso Twins. Their theme song for one of his TV shows is actually a banger: https://youtu.be/36h4gm7beSQ?si=tNpoC10aeP6bSKRm

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MathematicianNo8086@reddit

I met him as a kid once, years back. We were out for Sunday lunch at a lovely place not too far from us, and they've got a massive pond with a nice path all the way around. Me and my brother went for a wander after we ate, and lo and behold, Ainsley Harriot was out walking his dogs. I don't remember too much of the encounter sadly, but I do recall him being very nice to us.

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Taswegian@reddit

He genuinely is. Used to see him regularly as he dog walked, he is an all round lovely guy. Always.

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Competitive_Lion5000@reddit

I met him, he did a book signing at a shop I was a supervisor of back in 2005. Lovely fella, came in the shop like a force of nature, chatted to all the people queuing for signatures, once it was all done he came in to the staff room and chatted for a while. Nice guy, funny and charming.

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Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit

It's also lovely to hear Michel Roux Jr is as nice as he is on TV.

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PartManPartLobster@reddit

I love this. I had some kind of irrational fear about MRj when I was a younger man. He just had this look of someone who would absolutely rinse you out for the smallest thing. Think; a teacher who would verbally crucify you in the front of the class for the slightest infraction. I'm so glad that the last decade or two has confirmed that these looks have nothing to do with him, and that he's a lovely bloke.

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Somerlouise@reddit

Having met him once I can say he was lovely- very warm and friendly.

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StorkSailing@reddit

He was once a bit too warm and friendly with a TV director I know very well. All a long time ago now but she still has the ick about it.

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Brizar-is-Evolving@reddit

Ready Steady Cook was a staple of my childhood. Because of that I’ve always had a soft spot for Ainsley Harriet. So it’s always good to know that he’s a proper gem in real life.

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KittyOohLaLa@reddit

He’s my neighbour’s cousin and he is apparently a very nice guy.

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AlternativePrior9559@reddit

100% he’s always made me smile and I couldn’t bear it if he wasn’t the same in real life!

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Fragrant-Prize-966@reddit

Yeah I was thinking that. He comes across as almost childishly excitable on the telly. Would have been such a disappointment to discover that he’s actually a megalomaniacal twat.

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amijustinsane@reddit

Ainsley Harriott came to my school for our open day when I was in like, year 8. I showed him a physics experiment and had no idea who he was until a friend excitedly pulled me aside afterwards lol. He seemed pretty normal

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New_Pop_8911@reddit

Michel Roux jr always comes across as a truly lovely man, I lived that program, Service, he did with Fred training up young people to work in front of house, he came across as patient and caring. Glad that's the case

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LondonPilot@reddit

Regarding Michel Roux Jr - earlier this year I was diagnosed with cancer. He had a pop-up at a hotel in London, and the wife and I booked a table there the weekend before I started chemotherapy. Unknown to me, my wife had emailed them in advance to tell them about my chemotherapy. She thought maybe we’d get a kitchen tour. When we turned up, we saw him wandering around, but didn’t think too much of it. Then, about half way through our meal, he came to our table, and started chatting to us. Totally unexpected! Absolutely lovely guy. We talked about food, about home cooking, about his TV shows. He gave me a signed copy of his latest book and wished me well. A few minutes later, we overheard some other guests asking their waitress if he was there. She said no, he’d literally just left. Seemed like not only did he come to talk to us personally, he actually waited around to see us at the end of his day, and left after he’d spoken to us. I can’t say a bad word about him. The food was amazing too, of course!

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StuD721@reddit

I worked at the bar for an event with Michel Roux Jr, he tipped the two ladies serving his table over £10k between them (this is back in 2006). Apparently he was lovely and chatty.

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

Fooking hell

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reddityouwroteyou@reddit

WELL HELLLOOO JILLLL

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nonoanddefinitelyno@reddit

More about the "awful, horrible nasty people" please.....

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Individual-Coyote188@reddit

Jeremy Lee and Tomos parry are both lovely

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jwf91@reddit

My mate Ross Kemp said Gordon Ramsey is a lovely chap…

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Flashy-Highlight-857@reddit

You mean Boss Bemp and Bordon Bamsey?

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jwf91@reddit

Bot builty

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redwheeeeelbarrow@reddit

I’ve heard he always keeps the kitchen back door open for late night feasts with old Kempy

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ResponsibleCollar172@reddit

Seeing Tom Kitchin's name come up so many times led me to googling it. Bloody hell, some of the stuff going on at his restaurants sounds, literally, criminal. Staff suffering PTSD after leaving even. Absolutely crazy.

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fknpickausername@reddit

Michael Caines was an utter c#*t

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OllyTrolly@reddit

Oh dear - what happened? He seems nice from what I know.

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fknpickausername@reddit

Strutted around like a peacock swearing at the chefs who were doing his actual cooking in a kitchen he visited once a month, never once actually saw him do service, just wave his duck around and then fuck off

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ResponsibleCollar172@reddit

There's a mental image and a half - Michael Caines walking around the kitchen swinging a duck around his head while shouting at people.

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ResponsibleCollar172@reddit

There's a mental image and a half - Michael Caines walking around the kitchen swinging a duck around his head while shouting at people.

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

This surprised me

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hausplants@reddit

I just searched the thread for him. I ate his new tasting menu last week in London and I just felt like I didn’t like him. Is that weird?

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fknpickausername@reddit

I was at the Royal Clarence in Exeter for a year, he didn't cook a single service, just visited to Assert his authority and swing his dock around, utter filth

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luckyslife@reddit

Jason Aetheton is a horrible prick.

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ResponsibleCollar172@reddit

Never heard anything good about him. Great chef but firmly in the '90s MPW' school of kitchen management.

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

My husband is a really good amateur chef, and he emailed a handful of professionals for knife recommendations. Tom Kitchin, Tom Kerridge and Hrishikesh Desai all got back to him with really friendly emails and some excellent suggestions :)

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Bardsie@reddit

Now I need to ask what the suggestions were?

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

We went with Kin Knives from Japan - they've been fab!

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b0ringusern4me@reddit

Tom Kitchin is horrific, well known in Edinburgh to be abusive to his staff

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parasoralophus@reddit

There was a big public exposé and investigation into Tom Kitchin's restaurants with accusations of people getting punched and kicked for petty grievances. He mostly got away with it and claimed he's a changed man anyway but I'm not convinced.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

I mean, I can’t stand tom as much as the next person, but could you imagine that little Pube punching you? He’d be flat out in 5 seconds, and having worked around chefs my whole life, they are not to be trifled with aggression wise. That’s why I don’t believe certain news stories,

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parasoralophus@reddit

Well the people who actually got suspended were senior staff so perhaps he had people doing his bullying for him. Sounds like a pretty toxic environment anyway and he's the boss, so.... He's become a gym nut now btw.

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vajaxle@reddit

One of my core memories of when I was a chef was Tom Kitchin incandescent with rage at a chef de partie about cep mushrooms. Apparently the chef had "no respect for the produce and he might as well work in fucking McDonald's!!". I was elbow deep in crab and I daren't turn round but I could taste the humiliation. I was just there for a stage but in that moment I realised that as much as I loved cooking for money, I could never take cooking people's dinners as seriously as that. I tried to get the craic with the pastry chef once and she said "we don't chat here". Fun. Incidentally Angela Hartnett was in for dinner that night and she came into the kitchen for a chat and was super nice.

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extranjeroQ@reddit

That’s so nice of them. Can you share what brands they recommended?

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

Kin Knives, from Japan - we use them on the daily and they sharpen beautifully, and have lovely balance.

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

I'll check with him when I'm home from work! They're amazing though

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TunedOutPlugDin@reddit

Tom Kitchins Professional Series Chef's Knifes, Tom Kerridge Swiss Modern Exclusive Case Roll Set and Hrishikesh Desai 10 Piece Chef's Knife Case Set with free sharpener.

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banedlol@reddit

Modern Reddit: devolved into a product recommendation service by the 6th comment. Good one bots.

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madzonn@reddit

Spat my coffee. Good one 👍

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

None of them plugged their own brands - they all gave us independent suggestions!

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Midnights_with_me@reddit

Not a pro chef but I have some Savernake knives and they're worth checking out. Very spendy though.

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ennyboy@reddit

Yeah I would love to know what.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Tom Kitchin is a wanker mate. And a thief. His Swedish wife is no better. A knife recommendation by email isn’t the mark of a good guy.

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Tabby_Mc@reddit

I'm just reporting the feedback we got - I'm happy to take on other people's responses; I was sharing our personal experience.

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WellGreenToffee@reddit

Love this.

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Fast_University_8908@reddit

I worked in a MPW steakhouse that just had his name on it. he only came in once when I worked there. His people had stipulated that he needed to be supplied a sleeve of Marlboro reds and three bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon. He then spent the night at a table in the middle of the restaurant and just sank the reds, and popped out the restaurant to chain smoke the fags. Every now and then he'd sign a book or talk to a guest, Legend in my honest opinion. He seemed like a grumpy fucker, but not unpleasant.

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LittleBee85@reddit

I work with people who used to work in kitchens all over. The general consensus from them: Rick Stein - lovely chap, his sons running his Padstow empire, however, are a pair of bellends. Jamie Oliver - bit of a knob. Inflated sense of ego. Gordon Ramsey - genuinely nice bloke. Marcus Wearing - brilliant but an exhausting thundercunt. Marco Pierre White - Absolute psychopath apparently!

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Norklander@reddit

Excellent I wondered about Marco Pierre White and nobody mentioned him yet. He sounds slightly insane on TV Tell us more…

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Ok_Statistician_5569@reddit

I once shared a cigarette with a barefoot MPW. To my shame he was very charming.

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Eastern-Leopard-2866@reddit

i have made food for him once many years ago, he sat at the bar and was nice. the barman was well star struck lol

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TheDaemonette@reddit

I understand that now MPW is no longer a professional working chef, he has mellowed significantly. I love the banter in his Knorr stockpot videos’ comments sections. They are fucking hilarious.

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spittingparasite@reddit

There's something sinister about him.

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Imaginary-Address-32@reddit

MPW stayed at a hotel I worked at. He was completely lovely, signed my tatty old book. Asked to look round the kitchen, chatted to the customers then said he was going for a ciggy; must have ambled off to his room. Next morning he was knocking on the window in his socks, asking for a bacon bap and a coffee to go with his many cigarettes. We were all completely awestruck. Absolute sweetheart.

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candleyankcat@reddit

Where's my fish, where's my fish, where's my fish 😄😄

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

How did you expect Wareing to get the Michelin stars without being an exhausting thundercunt

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St0rmStrider@reddit

‘An exhausting thundercunt’ has sent me 😂

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WesternEmpire2510@reddit

Ive not worked in a kitchen, and I'm remiss to call them *chefs*, but Si King and the late Dave Myers were absolutely some of the lovliest people I've met.

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WoodpeckerDry4430@reddit

Thank you for this

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

I can totally believe it

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goingdeafforaliving@reddit

I dealt with them both about 15 years ago as a radio producer. Can confirm they were delightful.

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Away_Clerk_5848@reddit

My mother worked for Marco Pierre White. He was perfectly nice (and fed you at the end of the evening) provided you were up to his standard, but if not you were dead. The story I remember is a waiter being 5 minutes late for his shift, Marco screaming at him and them immediately sacking him.

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

Apparently he used to go on spontaneous rages and just fuck up the whole kitchen when be felt like it

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Away_Clerk_5848@reddit

On second thoughts, he did once come in covered in wet cement and bump into her and then make her go home and get changed after shouting at her because she had wet cement on her. So he was mostly fine.

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Flashy-Highlight-857@reddit

Wet cement from burying the late waiter?

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Away_Clerk_5848@reddit

Best not to ask.

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olympicslondon@reddit

James Cochran is an absolute prick to work with

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

He seems quite chilled on telly. Maybe this is why he keeps closing restaurants, no one will work with him

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olympicslondon@reddit

Yep that's why I went to work for him at 12:51, and it turned into a "never meet your heroes" situation. Unfortunately.

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Ornery-Air3250@reddit

I used to work for Colonel Sanders. He just sat perfectly still on a bench in the restaurant and never said or did anything.

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HistoryDisastrous493@reddit

Have met Heston Blumenthal a couple of times a few years back. Super nice guy, very funny

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Icy-Passenger-3666@reddit

He did a documentary about (his) bipolar disorder on BBC recently. As someone with bipolar. I found it a hard watch. But it was worth it. It was the best documentary about it I'd seen. A lot of parallels with my experience. I'd recommend it to anyone (not in active depression) wanting to understand the condition better. I've got a lot of respect for Heston, because I know making it must have been very difficult.

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National_Ease_1487@reddit

I had huge respect for him before, and now much more after, watching his documentary. It was kind of sad to see that spark he used to have dampened by the meds - he speaks, moves and thinks much slower, which was always kind of his trademark. Brilliant guy. Still have a few appliances in our kitchen that are Heston branded - a decade plus old and still going strong

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SecretRush1919@reddit

Fuuuuck I must look this up. Have always been fascinated by Heston. Not bipolar but am schizoaffective (they're cousins as far as I'm concerned) and this sounds.so interesting

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PaulotheLimey@reddit

Jamie Oliver is one of those people who thinks skills in one area translate into skills in all areas. This proved difficult when he wanted to do more and more of the work involved in publishing his books, which he was manifestly not qualified to do.

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wildassedguess@reddit

He certainly can’t do fried rice.

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JayR_97@reddit

He version Thai Green Curry is an abomination as well

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preferiscoilpandoro@reddit

Italian here. I made something from one of his books to my dad once when I was home visiting, it was something like, regular pasta ingredients like spinach and ricotta but layered in a certain way. My dad, who, given his generation, was the opposite of a fussy eater anyway, was like “this doesn’t really go well together” and proceeded to mix it all together and ate it with an air of distrust. I could go on about the hilarious and absolutely made up “eyetalian” stuff in Oliver’s books but I’ll spare you.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

I mean, he was taught by Gennaro Contaldo,so maybe,just maybe , your dad didn’t like one dish. Italy as you well know has hundreds of variations of dishes depending on region, and your dad not liking one dish as much as I can’t stand jamie is hardly a reflection of that.

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Downtown_Site4328@reddit

What is chilli jam?

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wildassedguess@reddit

It is something that makes me put my foot down on the floor.

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Dark_Foggy_Evenings@reddit

Haiyaaa

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wildassedguess@reddit

You get it :-) Fui-yo.

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zanador98@reddit

I find all his recipes unnecessarily altered and fiddly.

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

‘His recipes’ 😂😂 he didn’t write any of them himself. The guy is hardly a cook

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AdamLondonUK@reddit

Oh and that mockney accent.

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SecretRush1919@reddit

Like if Common People by Pulp was a person.

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AdamLondonUK@reddit

👏 Exactly!

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Exciting_Top_9442@reddit

My daughter had a tv bit with Jamie Oliver at Rotherfield school in Islington (11 years ago or so), I still have the video. At 9 years old she recognised he treated all the staff related to the recording like shit. That was enough to put me off.

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

Always had a distaste for Jamie Oliver. Not only is he a relatively incompetent cook compared to the genuine professionals you see elsewhere, but he’s really up his own arse behind the scenes.

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Dave_Ex_Machina@reddit

I didn't mind him in his naked chef days, and I still refer to his Christmas with Jamie dvd from time to time, but at some point he turned into a right arse. There are a few Uncle Roger videos where he reviews Jamie's versions of Fried Rice, Pho and other Asian recipes, and he very quickly points out exactly why Oliver is a complete hack. It got me wondering just how many of his recipes are inauthentic bollocks. I think he takes advantage of the fact that a lot of his viewers genuinely don't know what should be in the authentic versions of the dishes he cooks.

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

I can attest to almost all of his Middle Eastern dishes being utter bollocks as well. Frankly, he takes advantage of the British population’s lack of cultural knowledge more than anything and instead of educating, he’s profiteering.

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Dave_Ex_Machina@reddit

That's what annoys me most, he's made a huge thing about being a campaigner for better food in schools, the sugar tax, etc. But when he has the opportunity to teach people what other cultures food is all about, he just throws lemongrass, soy sauce and chili jam at everything... Shame on him.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

I mean, you’re banging on about Asian food only. I’m not a fan of oliver but he knows Italian food, being taught by contraldo.

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Dave_Ex_Machina@reddit

That's great, maybe he should stick to Italian food then. Clearly he doesn't know enough about Asian or Middle Eastern food to be teaching other people how to cook it. He's doing the equivalent of putting cream in a pasta dish and telling anyone who watches him that it's a carbonara.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Yes, agreed. You’re thinking I’m on other side. I’m just pointing out he does know a cuisine. Problem is when these chefs explode they explore other cultures with a tv show, and it’s a bit shit. I’m just trying to give credit where credit is due. Your best bibimpap chef would struggle with a European dish, but his speciality of course no one will match.

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blueskyjamie@reddit

And he took away my fizzy drinks

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CanMysterious6040@reddit

I know some friends of friends who worked at his restaurant in Bristol and apparently it was well known that he would mess around with the very young female staff. Obviously, got to be taken with a pinch of salt as I wasn't directly involved but it did all sound believable.

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KingDaveRa@reddit

I always thought he was a bit of a prat - he was on Saturday Kitchen one day, and rather than just being the guest, basically took over, was talking straight to camera like it was his show, ignoring the host, and seemed disinterested in anything other than his own segments. I think that confirmed it.

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ErgoFnzy@reddit

I hate that sugar tax invoking prick so much. I'm not surprised he is a shit to work with, but feel vindicated in my distaste towards him after reading this.

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PixxiePax@reddit

Was once told that he was part of another chef’s charity cookbook and was the only one who demanded payment. All the others, Ramsay etc, did it for free.

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terracotta-cinnamon@reddit

This doesn’t surprise me at all.

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SebastianVanCartier@reddit

Ex of mine worked kitchens and foh for a few. Angela Hartnett, Clare Smyth — both decent, fair, supportive. Ramsay was actually alright if you were competent; he didn’t suffer fools for even three seconds but if you knew what you were doing he was sound. Wareing was hard work. A bit cliquey. Fergus Henderson was proper eccentric but genuinely lovely.

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BenAtTank2@reddit

Thrilled to hear that of Fergus

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

Fergus comes across as the most chilled home chef you’ve ever met that happens to be Michelin!

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DoctorWhofan789eywim@reddit

I kind of understand about Ramsay. Obviously he acts up a lot for the camera, but I imagine if somebody was constantly mucking up it presumably makes work difficult for everybody else, no reason for him to put up with it.

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GenGaara25@reddit

I've always liked how Gordon adjusts his evaluations, critiques, and judgement based on how the person presents themselves. Like if they claim to be an expert chef, and a master of the culinary arts, he will hold them to that and judge them on that basis. But if they call themselves an amateur chef, someone who's just trying to make good food that people enjoy, Gordon isn't gonna judge them the same way. He matches their level. Same with restaurants. If they're advertising as a cheap, hole in the wall, joint that just serves some hot, hearty, food. That's perfectly fine in his book, he'll assess to that level. But if the restaurant is portraying themselves as fine dining, and charging fine dining prices, he's gonna judge them to that standard. He doesn't judge everything to ***his*** standard that he expects in ***his*** kitchens. But if you tell him you are on that level, especially if you do Hell's Kitchen or apply for a job in one of his actual restaurants, he will absolutely hold you to his standard and you'd better be ready.

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Monzonmudslinger@reddit

This is pretty much the best thing I’ve ever read about Ramsey. Kudos to you. He didn’t get 3 Michelin stars by accident.

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jwf91@reddit

Fergus gives me that vibe whenever I see him on anything (sadly rarely these days). One of life’s proper characters.

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cab0lt@reddit

I can confirm the Ramsay bit, I had an ex partner that worked there. Didn’t suffer fools, but was really good to be around if you’re competent and not a complete idiot

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BobBobBobBobBobDave@reddit

I can imagine that with Henderson. He has definite mad professor vibes.

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

C/O a mate who worked for him, Sat Bains is an absolute shit of the first stripe.

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Dax888@reddit

Met Michel Jr a few times, lovely easygoing manner.

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tweetereater@reddit

Yeah worked on a tv series with him and he was always friendly and a consummate professional

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Varvara-Sidorovna@reddit

When I met Michael Roux Jr about 10 years back he was unfailingly polite, extremely charming, and flirted quite shockingly with my 85 year old great-aunt, as she fancied him something awful, and he played along gamely. (She still remembered him right up to her death, even when the dementia had kicked in. If he appeared on the telly she would give him a saucy wink)

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blackleydynamo@reddit

I'm genuinely pleased that MRJ is a nice guy, always liked him on MasterChef, and loved watching him cook proper classic french.

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Aggravating-Gas-2834@reddit

Noooo don’t say that about one of the few people the East Midlands can actually be proud of…

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

I’m in Lincolnshire, so I can just write him off as a Notts man rather than an East Midlander…

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Aggravating-Gas-2834@reddit

Gee thanks 😂

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

That’s ok. I rather like Nottingham and Newark, if that helps and Trent Bridge is my much loved home ground.

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Traditional_Rice_123@reddit

Oh that's a right shame about Sat Bains. Damn.

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daz1987@reddit

My wife and I met Alain Reux at The Waterside Inn. He was talking with staff and I seen him on the way back from the toilet and introduced myself. I told him my wife was a big fan so he came for a chat and some photos. He was really nice.

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Easy-Cat@reddit

I’ve heard a completely different story of Michel Roux Jr! He’s quite rude!

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

Fair do’s. I guess it all depends on the day etc - same for all of us, eh?

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AppropriateBase7821@reddit

uh, I've heard similar about Sat Bains! Seems like some chefs have that genius vibe but are total nightmares to be around…

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

I’d go into details, but the guy is still in the business and would be too identifiable.

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jilliemack@reddit

heard this about the roux’s as well, seconded!

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

Surprised by this , the people who work for him always seem to go on to great stuff so I imagine him being really supportive

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youessbee@reddit

My dad worked with Gary Rhodes and had such a great experience he became a massive fan and supporter.

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Medical_Translator_6@reddit

Front of house here. I worked in a bar over the road from a Marco Pierre White restaurant, and the man himself came in for drinks one day when we'd knocked off and were sat round having a few beers. He came over and sat with us, a genuinely lovely guy. Met Gordon Ramsay, really nice bloke too.

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baasacJak@reddit

Rick Stein is as lovely as he comes across on his shows. Worked in Padstow a couple summers for him. Really great seasonal job for uni students, if anyone is looking for it.

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sweetlambly@reddit

This is such a relief, I think i would have been gutted if someone said he was bastard. He seems like such a genuinely sweet and modest chap. Excellent food too

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loveswimmingpools@reddit

It is a relief. I love his cooking and would love to eat in his restaurant.

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baasacJak@reddit

Go if you can! I can't recommend it enough. Their Monkfish vindaloo is still the best curry I've ever had.

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loveswimmingpools@reddit

I will certainly try. Thank you.

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DeepPanWingman@reddit

He's the Michael Palin of cooking.

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Citizenfishy@reddit

I lived in Padstow when he first set up. He used to run a dodgy nightclub full of fighting fishermen. Probably learnt a lot from that period

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steptoe99@reddit

Sounds nice a nice plaice.

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BubblerSpesh@reddit

I get a feeling there’s a dark side to him. Spider sense always tingles. Might be completely wrong though 🤣

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SpartacusUK@reddit

I’ve heard the opposite from someone who ran a catering company that appeared on one of his shows. They asked him to keep his dog out of the kitchen. He refused and it shat everywhere. Was years ago mind

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mr_woodles123@reddit

Yeah, my dad met him in falmouth at a book signing. Miserable arsehole who was complaining that hardly anyone had turned up. Signed the book and didnt even look up at my dad.

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HighlandsBen@reddit

I feel so guilty, I cannot watch the man. Seems really nice and knowledgeable, but his manner sends me to sleep!

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Raymond Blanc is utterly delightful. Benoit Blin less so.

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gr33nday4ever@reddit

is benoit the guy from bake off professionals?

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Yeah. Housewife's favourite but he's not that adorable cuddly and fun in real life. Like, he's fine. He's not a monster. But terrible at the HR stuff and being nice to staff.

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gr33nday4ever@reddit

fair enough, i guess on tv you have to always be nice for the cameras, if you're just in your own place then there's less of that pressure and you can be more human (whichever way that ends up going)

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Yeah. It's weird though as in the pairings there's always a kind and supportive judge paired with a stricter and more picky one (so Hollywood with Berry/Leith in the main show). He'd be more suited to the latter but has been cast as the former. Actually now I think about, Prue Leith is utterly vile so also miscast. Whilst Hollywood is apparently quite nice.

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AdRealistic4984@reddit

Spill the beans on “utterly vile”!

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Ok. Well, I'm not the person who worked with her. My partner is. She worked for a while at a publisher years ago who put out Leith's books. So I'm only remembering what she has told me. "Utterly vile" is my partner's description. Apparently everyone at the publishers hated her and those who could be out of the office when she was coming in would be. She was perfectly pleasant to the senior person she was meeting, but rude, dismissive, arrogant and basically horrible to everyone else. Things like snapping at people for a coffee, refusing to return a hello from people passing in a lift or something, refusing to make eye contact when people spoke to her, not talking to *minions* directly. All the stuff that when working with someone you'd mark up as "they are awful". My partner is fairly forgiving of people having a bad day and is a really nice person, but personally came across Leith being vile enough that she will not hear a good word about her.

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AdRealistic4984@reddit

>She was perfectly pleasant to the senior person she was meeting, but rude, dismissive, arrogant and basically horrible to everyone else. Things like snapping at people for a coffee, refusing to return a hello from people passing in a lift or something, refusing to make eye contact when people spoke to her, not talking to minions directly. This is how people act when they grew up with servants, you get it a lot in India and the Emirates with the super rich. And among old white South Africans sometimes(!)

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sunheadeddeity@reddit

Absolutely among the white South Africans. I was living in Spain in the 90s when they started making their way there - if they thought you were a peer or higher status they'd be fine. Lower, menial, or god forbid "native" - absolutely foul.

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Yeah, this tracks completely.

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Blue-flash@reddit

100%

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blackleydynamo@reddit

I'm a huge fan of Raymond Blanc, the guy's passion and enthusiasm for good food is so infectious. Very relieved to hear he's not in the list of massive pricks. Never thought he would be, mind you. None of the names mentioned so far as twats are a surprise.

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Annual-Photograph-77@reddit

I worked at le manoir for a year, Raymond was incredible and I’ve never met anyone so passionate. Benoit Blin was horrific towards me and not fun to work with at all.

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WhatYouToucanAbout@reddit

I worked for Brasserie Blanc and he ate with us once. Came into the kitchen to thank us all personally, talked to everyone , even the KPs. Came across like your favourite, lunatic uncle that always makes you laugh

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purrcthrowa@reddit

I'm pleased you say that about Raymond. I've spoken to him a few times when I've been at restaurants of his, and he seems lovely. Unfortunately, his restaurants are a lot better when he's there then when he isn't. We've been to the Manoir a number of times over the years, and it's always been spectacular, apart from the last time we were there when he wasn't and it was a bit of a shambles, TBH. We also used to live near Brasserie Blanc in Oxford, and felt the same about that.

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BenAtTank2@reddit

Le manoir is in a weird spot, in that there's only so many people that can visit a hotel for 1 night for a spectacular £1200 tasting menu, and repeat visits are likely to be at absolute most once in a 12-18 month period. I think they're in desperate need of the closure for renovation too, but with RB advancing in years, and from all accounts having some serious knock on effects from long COVID. Either way, I'm very interested to see what Le Manoir 2.0 is like when it reopens in 2027, and whether it can reinvent itself to combat the likes of Estelle/Soho Farmhouse etc.

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

We're going to Brasserie Blanc in a few weeks!

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AlaricTheBald@reddit

I work on the railway in Raymond Blanc's neck of the woods. He was always a friendly enough passenger but never ever bought a ticket. The inspectors clocked him and he eventually got done for about £20k, paid it up and then continued exactly the same way.

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Haha. This sort of makes me love him more

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theinadequategatsby@reddit

Seconding Raymond being lovely, didn't work in his kitchen but I ran a book event for him and he took his time to talk to the staff like we were humans and was an all-round good person. Also gave me cheek kisses (consensually) when I found his misplaced glasses.

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

Yes, he's a big hugger!

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SinnerBon@reddit

Benoit Blanc is a total delight

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Silver-Machine-3092@reddit

I've heard that about Raymond Blanc too. Kind, patient, utterly devoted to the best food and dining experience.

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thecuriousiguana@reddit

I have met him, having been lucky enough to visit Le Manoir. If he's in, he goes to every single table to chat to the guests and is a genuine delight. I saw him the following morning in the courtyard and he stopped to say good morning, and to ask if everything was ok. Bearing in mind, too, that I was by no means a paying guest at £1200 a night and he would have known that!

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clumsyIam@reddit

Apparently Gregg Wallace is great to for

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rustyswings@reddit

Friend was a restaurant foh manager. According to him: Rick Stein - very easy to work with. Marcus Wearing - was warned not to go there. Richard Corrigan - Did not end well. Heston - Nice guy but wasn't in a great place at the time (pre bipolar diagnosis)

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Kerebus1966@reddit

Not a chef but I've met Monica Galetti a couple of times when dining at her, now closed, restaurant Mere. She was lovely and very chatty. The food was sublime and it's a crying shame it closed. I'm hoping she's not a monster in the kitchen.

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GlamGemini@reddit

Id like to think nigel slater is lovely. Not seen him mentioned from what I've read so far

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jenncatt4@reddit

To be fair, he started off in kitchens way back when but has been much more a food writer / presenter/ cook a la Nigella since the late 80s, rather than really being a chef or restauranteur, so he doesn't really work in the same context. He always comes across as quite a gentle considerate person in all his writing though, so he feels like more of the proverbial open book that way I guess!

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GlamGemini@reddit

Yes this is true. I read a bit of one of his more winter type books, the writing was so beautiful and descriptive, he is a lovely writer.

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jenncatt4@reddit

I love his Christmas journal one, try to reread that every year! And his childhood memoir Toast too (they adapted it for TV and a stage play too I think?)

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Sir_Wibble@reddit

I have worked with pretty much all the top chefs in the UK. Angela Hartnet, Gordon Ramsay ,Rick Stein and Tom Kerridge are all really nice. Marcus Wareing and Jason Atherton not so much .

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QueenBoudicca56@reddit

I worked for Delia Smith... She was seriously so nice and sweet. Her husband was so lovely and respectful. Every time they ate at the restaurants they would come to the kitchen and thank us all personally.

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Parfait-Fickle@reddit

I love her since she got drunk at the football and made that rambling speech

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QueenBoudicca56@reddit

I was there when it happened and there is a story about this. She got her match times mixed up, thought it was a 12pm kick off and it was actually 3pm so there was alot more wine drinking time then she expected. 😅

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mrshadders@reddit

i worked for their publishing company. they treated their staff wonderfully.

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Virtual-Mobile-7878@reddit

Ooooh I was getting seriously worried when you did the ... I thought you were going to dish dirt on St Delia of Norwich

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teatabletea@reddit

I was wondering if she would get a mention.

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Due_Garlic_3190@reddit

If anyone says Ainsley Harriet is awful I’m going to die, he’s been my favourite celeb chef since I was a kid (I’m 37) I always said I wanted to have a husband like him and low and behold I’m married to an AH lookalike 😂😂

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TheLoneEcho@reddit

I had a chat with him in an M&S once while in the queue. He was sound!

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FromYoTown@reddit

Yeeeeeeaaaa Booiiy

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thejonathanpalmer@reddit

Friend of mine worked with him on one of his series and said he's an absolute sweetheart.

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Due_Garlic_3190@reddit

Oh I’m so glad 😌

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parasoralophus@reddit

My favourite thing about Ainsley Harriot is that he was in Red Dwarf

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Due_Garlic_3190@reddit

My dad used to watch that!

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Madamemercury1993@reddit

Only a little bit jealous. Best vibes that guy!

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eunderscore@reddit

Notoriously incredibly offensive with women

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inthepages@reddit

I used to work at Chelsea Flower Show and got to meet lots of celebs and he was by far the nicest of all of them. Was super friendly to me and my colleagues, wanted to know everyones names and kissed everyone on both cheeks 😂

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Common_Upstairs8134@reddit

A mate's brother met him once and said he's exactly the same in real life as he is on telly, but also swears like a docker. Which sounds great to me.

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janner_womble@reddit

I can confirm his potty mouth. I saw him once, shouted 'Ainsley', did the hands, he called me a wanker, smirked, and walked off.

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Due_Garlic_3190@reddit

😂😂

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Due_Garlic_3190@reddit

That’s brilliant!

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tovuk28@reddit

Why helllooooo jill

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AdRealistic4984@reddit

Tom Kitchin is a nightmare

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

I can totally believe this, guy seems right up his own arse

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WonderfulMushroom202@reddit

I know him personally and can confirm your suspicion. Smug guy who likes dishing it out but cannot stand it when someone takes the mick out of him back. Punches down, sucks up. Zero integrity. His best friend from school days is also an absolute creep and liar. Hi Paul, if you’re reading this. Still cheating on your wife all over town?

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AdRealistic4984@reddit

I haven’t even worked for him I just lived in Edinburgh and it was common knowledge

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SammiWG@reddit

Loads of staff have complained about the toxic working environment in his restaurants.

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nb-tater@reddit

Used to work FOH in one of his restaurants. Piece of shit.

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seefroo@reddit

I took my mum to his Edinburgh place for her 60th. I work in hospitality and got the distinct impression the staff turnover was even higher than a normal place, barman didn’t know what a Canadian Club was, or a Rusty Nail. When I went to the toilet there were 3 staff at the podium who looked utterly petrified, it seemed as if they had overbooked a table or something but not enough to look that scared. Food was decent but terrible value for money.

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Necessititties@reddit

He turned up at a food festival we were working at with a black eye. Apparently the Campbells driver lamped him for continually giving him shit about the deliveries. Confirmed the next day with the Campbells driver when he brought our stuff

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

He’s just a silly looking Marco Pierre White

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Plus_Echo_7051@reddit

Leering bully, his pastry chef even worse - literally tortured apprentices

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slb609@reddit

This is what I heard too.

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SirPranceal0t@reddit

Was a chef under him for a while. Complete psycho. Would verbally abuse and harass chefs for minor errors and has been known to give people a kick up the arse (literally) when they were grabbing stuff out the walk in.

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TalvinStardust@reddit

That’s a shame - me and my ex wife had a lovely meal in his restaurant and we came across him when we were leaving and chatted a while, he seemed really sound. I can only imagine what he’s like behind closed doors…

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EddieTheHead120@reddit

I used to be a chef, and I worked with some folk who flew in the same circles as him. Apparently he's a complete psychopath in the kitchen

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matt1345@reddit

~Ramsay’s~ Kitchin Nightmares

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-myeyeshaveseenyou-@reddit

Have former colleagues who worked for him and that was my first thought

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BenAtTank2@reddit

I've worked in a Raymond Blanc restaurant as FOH, and whenever he came in he was an absolute gent to team and guests equally. Many years later on I was interviewed by him for a more corporate/head office type role. I accidentally burped during the interview (we were drinking sparkling water and it came out of nowhere), I apologized- absolutely mortified by it, and his response was a chuckle and telling me that belching "keeps us humble". From what I can gather because he wasn't classically trained in the French sense that many of his contemporaries were, he's always had distain for that super macho shouty, sweaty, trial by combat type of kitchen leadership. And as a result has tried to run his kitchens in the opposite way.

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No-Structure-1980@reddit

Did you get the job though?

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BenAtTank2@reddit

Sadly not. It turns out he had some pretty hellish long term COVID complications, so they never went ahead with the hire (or maybe they were just letting the guy who burped down gently, who's to say?) Either way I rather enjoyed by 90 1:1 with the big dog RB.

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orbtastic1@reddit

I've always liked Paul Rankin and Angela Hartnett. No idea what either are like but like to think my radar isn't wrong. Marco Pierre White I imagine could be insufferable but I reckon it's because he takes himself/the craft very seriously. I'd imagine he'd lecture you if he thought you were wrong. I reckon Keith Floyd would have been a right laugh. I'd imagine Stein is alright, he seems pretty normal. He'd probably be a bit embarrassed at being recognised.

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orbtastic1@reddit

One chef I rarely see mentioned is Giorgio Locatelli - He's been on TV a fair bit, I remember him and Tony Allen both did a show together back in the 90s. They both seemed pretty cool to me but obviously never met them. Anyone met or worked with either?

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sgro1983@reddit

I've never worked for Giorgio Locatelli but ate in locanda locatelli a few times and met him, he seemed very lovely. Came round to chat, had a couple of photos with us, really friendly. Then went to sit and dine with Jeremy Clarkson and ruined it for me.

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lucylucylane@reddit

Paul ranking is a bit of a twat

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RuaRuaRua81@reddit

I worked for a 3 star Michelin chef in a restaurant many years ago. Im a fussy eater, so was designated to testing many of his desserts...best job ever 😂

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bluetrainlinesss@reddit

Gordon Ramsay. Cunt. Probably... 🤔

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Lenniel@reddit

Apparently not, his staff have all worked for him for decades.

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Jlaw118@reddit

I was just thinking I bet it’s the ones you least expect to be nice, who actually are. Gordon Ramsay springing to mind

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DaveBeBad@reddit

If you ever watch the American Masterchef Kids version, you see more of the real Ramsey. Don’t get me wrong, he can lose his temper - but it’s generally because the other person has done something stupid.

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No-Lynx4923@reddit

He is brilliant when he guests on Australian Masterchef too.

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MeteorSwarmGallifrey@reddit

He even had genuinely nice moments on his typically angrier shows, Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitchen. His angrier side is all for show, and he hams up his criticism of the food sometimes, but when he's hanging out with the contestants on HK on their rewards or have 1-1s with them, he's very genuine. I remember one of the earlier seasons there was a contestant called Robert, but Gordon kept calling him Bobby. Turns out Bobby was Robert's abusive father's name, so Ramsey very sincerely apologised to Robert and stopped calling him that going forwards. Still called him all names under the sun mind you, but still, a nice moment.

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Jlaw118@reddit

You could see the empathy in him in Kitchen Nightmares. He genuinely wanted to help these people get their restaurants back on track and the majority of his anger was towards their bad attitudes towards him and his changes that he wanted to bring in. Things like customers complaining about cold food. “You need to change the way you prep this.” “No we don’t, it’s fine.” It’s enough to drive anyone to shout and swear like he does. We watched a lot of the US versions during lockdown and him going around the restaurants seemed like a pointless exercise. They were on the verge of closing down, he’d try to help. They wouldn’t listen. He got them back up to scratch and the majority ended up closing back down months later.

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OK_LK@reddit

And it makes for better telly

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IsSheMe@reddit

Nope, total opposite in real life. His angry, swearing persona is for TV.

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bellathebeaut@reddit

I've met Gordon Ramsey. He was a really nice guy, funny, kind, and had a lot of time for people. Also met The Hairy Bikers, I know they're more TV cooks than pro chefs, but they were exactly as they are on TV, warm, friendly and so passionate about food.

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Spiral_Decay@reddit

Rest In Peace Dave Myers who passed away last year

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boldstrategy@reddit

Watch Boiling Point, nowadays he is just a tv persona, he genuinely cares and if you don’t care that’s what annoys him. He is actually a really nice guy.

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syphonuk@reddit

Angela Hartnett has nothing but nice things to say about him. I think you can see that from TV shows where he has a lot of time and patience for people who want to learn and are genuinely interested in being the best they can be. His other side is strictly aimed at people who are the opposite which I find completely understandable.

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Echo2045@reddit

If you haven't seen it already, Gordon's episode on the Dish podcast is really nice to watch, him and Angela reminisce a bit about when she started working for him and it's really obvious that they both have a lot of respect for each other

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TheCammack81@reddit

Numerous stories of him being an absolute pleasure to deal with, apparently the persona is all for show.

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Lostinthebackground@reddit

A friend of my mum’s worked for him, said he was great.

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IsSheMe@reddit

Thank people for not breaking my heart about Gordon Ramsay, he's my favourite celebrity chef ❤️

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

I was the opposite, Ive always hated the guy as I watched his original series live back in the day, this thread has started to change my opinion

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No-Lynx4923@reddit

I love him. He’s always been great with people who are willing to learn and work. We watch Australian Masterchef and he quite often guests on there and is brilliant.

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Lychee_Only@reddit

Have heard Paul Ainsworth is bit of c*nt. Pretty sure he was called out by kitchen staff on a popular blog a while back. Tom Brown is also supposed to have a bad rep.

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cornishyinzer@reddit

Used to be a chef in the South West, then transitioned into events (I've got a desk job these days though). So have worked for or with a few 'celebrity' chefs in either an actual professional kitchen environment or an events environment away from TV cameras. Which isn't quite the same, but I think is often more true to their 'real' selves than a produced TV show. In the "utter knob" category I have: Gino d'Acampo, who is the undisputed king of the category and I'm amazed hasn't been cancelled yet. James Tanner (not so much his brother but definitely him. Still hope he recovers after the recent accident though!) In the "stand-up guy I'd go to war for" category we have: Nathan Outlaw Paul Ainsworth Worth a mention: Michel Roux Jr. Every bit as wonderful IRL as he seems on TV I'm pleased to report; I've never actually worked for him but been around him a few times in an industry environment where he didn't "have to be nice". Still was. He's the exception to the "never meet your heroes" rule. No personal experience but I've never heard a bad word about Tom Kerridge, thankfully. And mates have said Gordon Ramsey is actually "surprisingly good" to work for in a real kitchen environment as long as you're genuinely putting effort in and aren't shit. Also, I can second the comment below that said Raymond Blanc is exactly as lovely as you'd expect but Benoit Blin is kind of a... well, not a horrible person in any way, but not worth holding up as a good example, y'know? On TV he comes across as a jovial, wise-cracking endearing figure, but that's not what you see IRL. Not a bad person to work for by any means but if you went to work for him based on his TV personality you'd be disappointed I think.

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geekbox0892@reddit

I heard the same thing about friends who work for Paul Ainsworth and had the please of eating at No. 6 food was incredible. His other more affordable cafe in Padstow is also damn good.

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OllyTrolly@reddit

Since you say South West, ever worked with Michael Caines? Guy seems nice from what I know.

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Ok_Shopping_3341@reddit

Can confirm re Paul Ainsworth. Lovely bloke, and genuinely interested in teaching the next generation rather than seeing them as his competition.

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Aggravating_Past9367@reddit

I’ve got good news for you - Gino D’Acampo [has been cancelled](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/feb/07/tv-chef-gino-dacampo-denies-misconduct-claims)!

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cornishyinzer@reddit

Yay! I somehow missed that!

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contemplatingjazzz@reddit

I was a bartender for Gino d’Acampo’s straunt in the strand and he’s such a prick. Came in, yelled at people about a broken toilet the repair for which had been raised that morning, 2 hours later he’s red in the face calling for someone to be fired, building manager comes down, gets yelled at, gets told he’ll be fired (he can’t fire him lol), Gino yells at the head chef for his sous wearing the wrong hat (not during service mind you this is 10am during prep) and then proceeds to point at everyone in a radius and tell us we don’t give a shit and aren’t worth paying. His assistant very kindly asked me to make a perfect espresso for him, which I then re made 6 times as he marched around being a cunt; he finally drank it and gave me a pissed off nod of approval. On dinner service he’d come in, mic himself up and just kinda wank himself off ‘entertaining his guests’. His food is good but not good enough to treat people like that what a complete twat.

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geekbox0892@reddit

I was also a bartender for the dude. I got my story of what he did when he came into ours somewhere else on this post. Yeah he is a huge bell end. The espresso we made for him was the cause of his meltdown.

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

Is his food even that good though?

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geekbox0892@reddit

It wasn't great, really hit or miss. Steak, seafood stuff was good. Everything else meh.

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float_like_a_halibut@reddit

This is such a good thread! Great stories and not all what I would have guessed. Anyone worked with Nigel Slater? I love his food but he gives me the creeps when I see him on TV.

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

Good question, he has the oddest personality on television, nice yet slimy,

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blackleydynamo@reddit

I can't watch him. I don't know what it is; I know he had a very difficult upbringing, and I'm sure that's had some effect on how he comes across, but he genuinely gives me Saville-grade shivers. If there end up being "revelations" about him, I will be the most unsurprised I've ever been.

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IllFinger3635@reddit

Nice Keith Floyd was a f in true hero. Took the piss, and possibly was pissed but gave amazing lessons and how to get out of the weeds lessons .. a true gentleman chef. Cool: Marco, a f in psycho... but took you with him if you believed in a passion and could keep up .. ( eventually you'd fall but always have the 'marco' ) Fail: .. that Tom Scottish ginger Kitchen bloke .. who has ripped everyone off, cooks like shit, made small suppliers bankrupt, and judges still on gbm can suck the dirty mop juice out of my dishes, crocks .. c*nt

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thejonathanpalmer@reddit

Have met a few chefs over the years (not as kitchen staff, though): Angela Hartnett – absolutely lovely, down to earth, kind, nice, exactly what you'd expect Phil Howard – very chilled (for a former coke/booze addict), nice guy Francesco Mazzei – decent guy, legit, but wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of him Peter Gordon – lovely guy, really chilled, hard to believe he's a chef given how laidback he is Tom Kitchin – bit odd, suspect he could lose his shit at any time Michel Roux Jr – great guy, really pleasant to talk to, no ego Tom Aikens – massive psycho Have heard a few reports on others (from my sister, who works in the industry): Nigella - lovely, pleasure to work with Hairy Bikers - arseholes, can't cook to save their lives, winging it Jason Atherton - massive control freak (as most top-level chefs are, in fairness), bit odd Marcus Wareing - VERY odd

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Professional-Test239@reddit

Gareth Ward at Ynys Hir (not so much a TV chef but Michelin stars falling out of back side). I know a few lads worked for him, absolute top fella by all accounts.

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

He seems sound, and very clever

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PreferenceNo4677@reddit

He’s genuinely one of the nicest guys in the industry and an unfuckingbelieveable chef

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ZebraShark@reddit

I know someone who worked for Tom Kerridge and was quite positive about him. He also worked for Marcus Warering and described him as brilliant but a dick.

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SammiWG@reddit

Just seeing Marcus Warering on TV he gives off 55 year old guy with 19 year old Eastern European girlfriend vibes.

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QualityPies@reddit

I 3 understand how he had 2 shows running at the same time on BBC. He's got now charisma. I feel like he's got some serious dirt on a BBC commissioner.

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thejonathanpalmer@reddit

Yep, his 'chilling in the countryside' shows are just plain weird. The guy is an absolute psychopath with zero charisma, as you say.

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gaviero_maqroll@reddit

I've heard two separate but eerily similar stories about how he treats his trainees that make me genuinely surprised [redacted redacted-redacted] isn't in prison.

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Twoine8442@reddit

Does their name begin with H perchance?

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eunderscore@reddit

No...let's call him Mr F-W

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Twoine8442@reddit

Then I think we might well be talking about the same person, and I am also surprised they are still around.

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fr-spodokomodo@reddit

Just say who it is.

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

So what I'm getting is that the chefs who are sound seem to get overwhelmingly the same comments, and the same goes for the ones who are pricks. Very little grey area here. Potential apprentices take note

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SunjoKojack@reddit

I worked a service once with Michel Roux Jnr when he came to a place I worked at in Glasgow for a special event. He was sound, laid back and pretty funny. He clocked my accent was different from the other guys, I told him “that’s because I’m not a weegie chef” and he laughed for a solid two minutes. Did the entire service in a chefs jacket and a pair of Prada jeans though.

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Potential-Praline637@reddit

Gennaro is a rude piece of shit who I had an argument with because he thought he could talk to me like a dog. Was going to leave my job on the spot because of him, managers begged me not to once he had gone as we didn't have enough staff anyway Gordon Ramsey is quality and a good laugh. Came in and was like one of the team within a minute Gregg Wallace obviously not a chef but an absolute helmet who thought he was some kind of culinary god. Think thats it for me 🤔

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DameKumquat@reddit

Friend of mine worked for Gregg when he ran a restaurant for a while. Nasty and gropey, apparently. She slapped him so he didn't bother her again. Paul Rankin, on the other hand, is lovely and gave up a lot of his time to come to events for school cooks, to convince them they are the front line in encouraging kids to try new food. He was a total star letting them mob him and take photos and putting up with groping.

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Independent-Win-7153@reddit

I've seen some of Greg's Insta reels, he's like grilling some chicken and throwing it on a lettuce leaf. Quite rightly, people call him out in the comments and I was surprised to see how rude and defensive he is. Anyway, it's clear he doesn't know anything about actual cooking 😅

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Jessf_swilliams@reddit

Someone’s beaten me to John Torode! Didn’t work for him but he came into the restaurant in London I worked at. We couldn’t magic up a table for him in a fully booked restaurant on a Friday night around Christmas and he got incredibly agitated and stormed out. I hope it was just a bad day for him but he stank of entitlement.

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j13axsq@reddit

Tiny Chef was a total cunt

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yogipandabear@reddit

I’m not kitchen staff but I have a lovely anecdote to share about Michel Roux Jr. I was at the Taste of London Festival many years ago and I asked for some kind of soup at the Le Gavroche stall. As the person was preparing it, Michel, who was obviously watching the staff, jumped out from behind the partition and said “are we doing half measures?” because he wasn’t happy with the amount being served. And he stepped in to make sure I got a great serving. Ever since then I’ve loved him. He has his eye on everything and truly cares and it was obvious to me on that day.

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johnwayneswagger@reddit

Have worked with Ramsey and Oliver on different restaurants (building rather than once open). Ramsey was great, and the complete opposite to what you see on the TV. Oliver was much more sweary than his tv appearances show.

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fussyfella@reddit

A friend of mine who is now a private cook/chef to some gentry, used to work the late Alastair Little at his eponymous restaurant and apparently he was a really top bloke. One time after my friend got off the hamster wheel of regular kitchen work, I was round at his place having dinner and unannounced a couple of his mates turned up because they were in the area. It turned out it was the two Roux brothers: Michel Senior and Albert and at least from that encounter they were really top blokes. They knew they were an imposition and were lovely to my mate's wife who had actually been doing the cooking that night and went out of their way to praise her. I gather Albert sometimes helped Alastair out in the kitchen and wanted to be treated just like anyone else in his troop. Not all top chefs are dicks.

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Cam_Sco@reddit

Of all of these, this is the best story, thank you.

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slb609@reddit

Tom Kitchin is a cunt who can get in the bin. Not chef/catering but my bro is and his bff is high end, and almost spits in your pint if you mention him. There’s apparently some pastry chef who was savagely burned by a tray that had been put in the salamander because she was leaving. Also his food isn’t all that. Twat charged me £16 for a scallop starter. It had been cut into 3.

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notmyusername1986@reddit

>There’s apparently some pastry chef who savagely burned another chef using a tray that had been put in the salamander because she was leaving. Jesus christ, that is actually psychotic.

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Outside_Penalty8094@reddit

Tom Aikens is a coked up arsehole. Matty Matheson is absolutely lovely.

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PrestigiousGuess458@reddit

Was only there very briefly but can confirm that Theo Randall was just a nice fella. Encouraging kind of guy.

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onedisgruntledprick@reddit

Met Heston Blumenthal many years ago while working a ski season in Austria. He was in a bar playing pool with some friends and honestly was really chatty and friendly with everyone. Seemed really down to earth.

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One-Leopard@reddit

Worked with a lot of chefs as I’ve worked in tv. Tommy banks, Raymond blanc and Paul Ainsworth are the loviest of all the tv chefs.

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TheBrightman@reddit

I worked silver service back in 2016 and had a gig at a high end company party at Blenheim palace. Tom Kerridge was the chef, I think he was slightly famous by then already because I knew the name, but nowhere near as big as he is now. He was very easy to work with, by far the nicest chef I worked with which was easy because most of the others were complete bell ends.

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Bubbly_Collar9178@reddit

my husband worked with gordon ramsey and said he was absolutely lovely. he worked on celebrity masterchef with john torrode and greg wallace and said they were nasty people.. well he was right there 😅

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Grumblepiglet@reddit

My best friend installs expensive art in members clubs, restaurants, private homes etc. Mark Hix is apparently an absolute gent. Genuinely interested in art and the industry, cooked lunch for my friend and his team and was lovely. We also had our wedding dinner and party at a Hix restaurant and his sense of generosity and hospitality shone through in the staff.

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

I think he's good friends with Damien Hurst , think they had a restaurant together

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MassiveBeatdown@reddit

I worked with Marco Pierre white. Mega bellend. A very rude and selfish person who had no qualms in putting someone down in front of others.

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Infamous_Tough_7320@reddit

Shame that MPW is like that in person but i have to say I’m not surprised. His son is apparently even worse, no doubt his dad had some involvement in that. He’s still an outstanding chef

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Mountain-Ad-3676@reddit

I’ve worked for Michael Caines (not the actor) at ABode hotels, he was great to work for, genuinely lovely bloke!

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PearlyP2020@reddit

My friends son works for Gordon Ramsey and has nothing but nice things to say about him and the whole team he works with. He actually had a seizure after bumping his head and they gave him full paid leave without any questions

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Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit

Marcus Wearing was an absolute bell end on Masterchef when he took over from Michel Roux Jr who was lovely.

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Objectively_bad_idea@reddit

His first ever appearance was before he became a judge - he was one of the chefs who had a bunch of contestants come and cook in his kitchen. He seemed *properly* extreme then. As a judge I think he's gradually mellowed out. Michel Roux Jr will always be the best, but Marcus & Monika make a pretty good judging team I think.

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TheFirstGlugOfWine@reddit

He’s so boring though. I don’t know what dirt he’s got on people at the BBC because I just can’t understand how he’s been given so many shows! He’s got no charisma at all.

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Objectively_bad_idea@reddit

I find him pretty enjoyable to watch, but I can see him not appealing to all audiences.

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Reasonable-Horse1552@reddit

I stopped watching it after a while.

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Holiday_Cat_7284@reddit

He also has the eyes of a psychopath

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Thingisby@reddit

Im not saying he has definitely murdered loads of people but if in 10 years time his veg patch was dug up and they found the bodies of multiple missing people I wouldn't necessarily be the most surprised person in the world.

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cripblip@reddit

Michel was the dogs on masterchef , was really sad to see him go. Marcus, definitely different but I never felt he was rude in his feedback. He was firm, constructive and encouraging; honesty where it mattered. I think they were all pulled down by the bell end in chief Wallace.

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ladygagaforoscar@reddit

My cousin did a job dropping cars off for the rich and famous. When anyone went to see Michel Roux Jr he would give them a free lunch!

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ExeuntLeft22@reddit

Im not in cateirng,but I know two people who've worked with Gordon Ramsey in the past and both said that he's fantastic to work with. Really supportive and nothing at all like his TV persona

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2857156@reddit

Tom Kitchin. Total creep and absolute dickhead

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Pitiful_Oven_3425@reddit (OP)

His name has come up so much on here as being a tosser, which is great because he seems like the sort of person to Google himself

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limpingdba@reddit

I've heard Ronald Mcdonald is a bit of a creep

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ficus77@reddit

Yeah, people I know who've worked for him have said he's a bit of a clown.

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EsseBear@reddit

Yeah but after employing people in the past like Hamburgler, it’s lucky he didn’t go full Willy Wonka and get rid of all his staff

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callisstaa@reddit

Hard to take him seriously with that shit eating grin on his face all the time.

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beehive-cluster@reddit

aye, Krusty can be a git too but really watch for sideshow bob

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Ok-Salary3550@reddit

Amazing he didn't get done by Yewtree if I'm honest

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Rossco1874@reddit

Didn't jamie oliver screw a lot of people over when his restaurants closed by claiming they had nothing to do with him that side of the business.

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Acrobatic_Task1373@reddit

John Burton-Race strikes me as someone who could be a real prick. I think he fell from grace a while back but can remember what it was about.

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Thin-Midnight-3609@reddit

There was a TV exposure with behind the scenes filming at L'Ortolan south of Reading but that was last century I think.

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ninjatuna734@reddit

I have worked with Tom kerridge, who was a gentleman. Matt Gillan was great too. Worked with Michel Roux Jr aswell and he is a gentleman.

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ahfckicntblvuvdnths@reddit

Mike Robinson, lesser known but actually a very good boss tbh.

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Crafty_Letter_1719@reddit

If you’re a celebrity and a high end chef the chances of you not being a complete bellend to work for are almost nil.

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Unhappy_Clue701@reddit

Scroll up and down this thread and you’ll find far more positive comments than negative. Not always the celebrity high end chefs who are the bellends.

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Crafty_Letter_1719@reddit

Of course you will. A lot of people have an unhealthy obsession with celebrity and think because somebody is sunshine and light when the camera is running they are also just as delightful when they are not being paid to act nice. As somebody who has worked both in the entertainment and hospitality sector for decades I absolutely stand by my comment. However I’m glad that a lot of people have seemingly had nothing but pleasant experiences with the celebrities they admire.

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DDMFM26@reddit

Just nonsense

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Squishy_3000@reddit

Although I never worked hospitality, had a lot of friends and family who did. Tom Kitchin is a grade A twat.

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sweettooth_red@reddit

I worked for Raymond Blanc many a decades ago and he was really fab, His passion for food is amazing great times then . Also a big shout to Benoit blin from Bakeoff the professionals , he is a gem of a guy , great skills always imparting knowledge and a fantastic human being.

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sprucay@reddit

Not a chef but I know Marco Piere White is a twat

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Poes_Raven_Nevermore@reddit

not sure if he\`s been mentioned, or counts, but Theo Randall is a decent guy in the kitchen. When I first qualified as a chef (20 years ago) and in my first kitchen job post-college, I worked in the same kitchen Theo did. One of my college friends, who worked for Theo, offered to introduce me to him....which she did, and he was a genuinely nice, friendly, approachable guy, something my friend confirmed to me before I met him. i\`ve since 'retired' from working in a kitchen, due to ill health - breaking my back in 2 places after a fall can do that - so i\`ve got very few stories of meeting famous chefs

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Kamoebas@reddit

Isn't Tom K a known Bellend? Heard a few nasty things about him previously but happy to be corrected.

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LunchOwn4887@reddit

Kitchen or Kerridge?

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Kamoebas@reddit

Kerridge

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LunchOwn4887@reddit

Judging by this thread, Kerridge seems to be held in high regard. Kitchin's reputation is poor.

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Kamoebas@reddit

I'm sure it was reports around how he handled his food being criticised and complaints feom junior staff members about his attitude to them, however it certainly was a few years ago and could have been Kitchin.

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LaraH39@reddit

I know someone who worked in a Tom Aikens restaurant who said he was tough, but brilliant and a very decent bloke. Said he was very giving off his time and experience.

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Whulad@reddit

My brother has a mate who is from Marlow. He went on his stag do. My brother literally isn’t interested in food and only watches sport on TV , he spent a lot of the stag do with a bloke called Tom who was a right laugh. Predictably it was Tom Kerridge and my brother didn’t even know the name, asked him what he did and he just said ‘I’m a chef’ . This was a few years ago and before he got sober and he was right on it, the booze and gear apparently.

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Alternative-Fox-7255@reddit

Can confirm; James Martin is a massive bellend

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Gonk_droid_supreame@reddit

Kerridge can be a bit traditional, but top bloke and a brilliant mentor

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Only_Tip9560@reddit

I think the standard for celeb chefs is that they are utter twats and it is the rare exception that they are nice.

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you_aint_seen_me-@reddit

I couldn't comment but few that reach the top of any profession are saints. Ability and passion are not enough, there has to be an accompanying 'drive'.

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funnytoenail@reddit

I mean this entire thread has just disproved you

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Intelligent-Ad5258@reddit

Nigel smith from Lancs heard some several sources he's a complete tool

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em_press@reddit

A friend does sous-cheffing, he's mentioned Gordon Ramsay, Angela Hartnett, Jamie Oliver and Clare Smythe as being pretty cool. He's mentioned working with twats but won't say who they are, very discreet of him!

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Ornery-Air-6968@reddit

It's a shame but it does seem like the pressure and ego of that top-tier environment breeds a certain type of person. I've also heard great things about Tom Kerridge from people in the industry. Would love to hear more names from the "lovely" list to balance out the inevitable bellends.

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gridlockmain1@reddit

Tom Kerridge has talked about how he used to drink pints of gin while on shift which I guess makes for either a great or a horrible time

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