Judge a dish on its merits, not on where it's prepared

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Diners have made a silly assumption if they presume everything they eat at a Gordon Ramsay gastropub is freshly cooked on the premises and that somehow Ramsay has a hand in it. Clearly he does not because he cannot be in so many restaurants at once. Ramsay's gastropubs are no better or worse than a lot of other gastropubs. The high street gastropubs buy in their food because it is the only way they can make ends meet. The best ones - like the Brown Dog in Barnes - are effectively restaurant-standard operations and buy in as much or as little as a top-class establishment.

In a way, pre-preparing some dishes can be a good thing in that slow-cooked stews and casseroles like coq au vin (or coq au van, as the Sun put it today) are improved if they are re-heated. It is not necessarily a sign of bad quality to make something elsewhere and bring it in. The dishes should be judged on their merits. If you can make a better dish at a central processing unit and then ship it out I am all for that.

I am not sure the revelation in today's Sun is going to make too much difference although it could harm Gordon's image. Nowadays he is more of a brand like Unilever than a chef.