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Ramsay's meals on wheels
Benedict Moore-Bridger17.04.09
GORDON RAMSAY is serving ready-made meals prepared at a centralised "food factory" at his gastropubs and bistros across London, it was revealed today.
The meals are put in white, unmarked transit vans and distributed to his three gastropubs and Foxtrot Oscar, his bistro in Chelsea.
Dishes such as pork belly, coq au vin, braised pig cheeks and orange and bitter chocolate tart are prepared in bulk before chefs put them in plastic bags and dispatch them across London.
The Narrow in Limehouse, the Warrington in Maida Vale and the Devonshire in Chiswick are also supplied by the central kitchen, near railway arches and a council estate in Clapham.
It was reported today that fishcakes are sold by the central supplier for £1.92 are then priced at as much as £11.25 in the gastropubs - a mark-up of 586 per cent. Diners pay £3.50 for sausage rolls that cost 75p.
The central kitchen is run by GR Logistics, the catering production arm of Ramsay's umbrella business GR Holdings. It is understood he bought the facility from the Roux Brothers after embarking on a massive expansion plan. It was then known as The House of Albert Roux.
The facility's head chef Darran Ridley is quoted today telling an undercover reporter from the Sun: "We provide the majority of the food for Foxtrot Oscar - everything from coq au vin, starters, terrines, snacks, salmon rillettes, various desserts, braised beef in red wine, beef pie mixes. Anything that takes a long time to cook, any braised items or items in sauces - we do all of that.
"We do coq au vin at £2.60 a portion, leg or thigh, in a bag with a sauce. All you have to do is pop it in a pan of boiling water and reheat it. The concept of having the production kitchen was that the kitchens in the pubs and Foxtrot Oscar were small and only have a small number of staff."
The revelation will fuel critics who have complained for several years that Ramsay, widely regarded as the most talented chef of his generation and who runs London's only three Michelin-starred restaurant, has spread himself too thin.
Richard Harden, who runs Harden's restaurant guides, said today: "This does explain what we have always said - that the gastropubs and Foxtrot Oscar are mediocre to poor.
"There is normally nothing wrong with prep kitchens except I am not sure there has ever been a prep kitchen that gets top class standards."
A spokeswoman for Ramsay said today: "The central kitchen is a state-of the-art-facility. It is a Gordon Ramsay kitchen run by Gordon Ramsay chefs cooking Gordon Ramsay food - it just happens to be off site."
The spokeswoman pointed out the kitchens at the gastropubs and at foxtrot Oscar were too small and reheating the food, under a method known as "sous vide", was tried and tested by the world's best chefs.
Ramsay's team has admitted that 50 per cent of the menu at the three gastropubs and Foxtrot Oscar is prepared off-site. But the spokeswoman said no fresh produce, such as cuts of meat, are prepared at the Clapham facility.
The revelations could be damaging. Ramsay has said in the past: "My food hell is any ready meal. It's so easy to prepare a quick meal using fresh produce but people still resort to ready meals that all taste exactly the same."
The chef has received a stream of bad publicity since being exposed in the News of the World for allegedly cheating on his wife.
He was subsequently accused of exaggerating his football career while restaurants abroad have been sold off due to the credit crunch.
Reader views (13)
My partner and I have visited the Devonshire in Chiswick on two occasion. The first time the food was average but it was late so we gave it a second try and were even more disappointed. For a high profile Chef to put his name to a business that supplies pre-prepared food and charge a huge mark up is misleading and in this case highly hypocritical of Ramsey.His reputation as a restaurateur is ruined for me and in future I shall avoid dining at any of his establishments.
- Ian Rhodes, london
What matters is whether people visiting Ramsay's places (or others for that matter) enjoyed the food or not! That is, after all, what it's all about. As for Terry in Toulouse, we are all connosseurs in that we know what we like and what we don't like. What on earth make you think you are more of a connaisseur than the rest of us simply because we may not agree with your own judgement? You little Michelin official in disguise! and by the way I am French too LOL
- Daniel, London
Not sure what the relevance of the location is (apart from NOT being in the restuaratnt. Is the assumption that being near Railway arches and, heaven forbid, a council estate, will somehow taint the food?
- Julia, London
Bah. Is the food good or not? Who cares where the kitchen is. No different from a 'posh' catered event, or a 'top rated' first class meal on the airplane. Most of the country is eating out of a can from Tesco so the outrage is laughable.
- Trunk, US
I'm French and have the following comment to make: its not this Ramsay guy who should be critisized its all those who when walking 'out' of the restaurant were telling people how good it was...therefore for non connoisseurs he is great...just goes to show that all these posh English people know nothing about food.
Let me ponder that one: England has some very very good food...so why the hell do Englishmen try and eat Coq au Vin and things like that. Those are our dishes ! Do we eat Yorkshire Pudding or Steak & Kidney Pies...NO !
- Terry. B, Toulouse, France
Amazing there is no 'truth legislation' for the restaurant trade as they continually deceive the customer. Its the same story with the Ritz Carlton in Co Wicklow that boasts a 'Gordon Ramsey' restaurant even though it is widely known that he only ever visited the place once. I hope people should vote with their feet and reject the celebrity culture that permiates our society right down to our 'celebrity' dinner plates.
- Jessica, london
A very similar method of cooking is used at other michelin starred restaurants such as The Fat Duck. Sous vide means under vacuum. It all depends if the food is raw or cooked when placed in the bag and then poached as to whether a chef would admit to doing this.
- Mr.T, Hove
That is appalling. Foxtrot Oscar managed with its 'small kitchen' before Ramsey took over, so there is no excuse for him serving boil-in-the-bag food. He has ruined a London institution.
- Victoria, London, UK
Anyone who walks past the Narrow to work regularly won't be suprised. There are always bags of ready chopped veg waiting, suprised it took so long for this story to break.
- Nick, london
I hope that this recession kills off Celebrity Chefs for ever. Premium restaurants in London whilst offering variety were never even close to value for money during the good times - they are certainly not now.
- Mike, london
He's a good businessman "
Maybe but he is a prime prat who deliberately curses at people just to get attention. Soon fools like him will be allowed to dwindle
- Keith Price, Luton, England
Didn't a resturant on Kitchen Nightmares do that and Ramsey went nuts and said it was ripping their customers off....?
If this is true, I wont be going to any of those locations for Re-Heats.....
- Mark, St Albans
He's a good businessman and knows how to prepare meat and veg for the masses. Whats the fuss.
- Mr Pastry, Brisbane
