Ramsay's Great British Nightmare Gordon Ramsay talks restaurateurs, last meals and the future

Date Published:

15/10/2007

4Food talks to Gordon Ramsay about what makes a good local, how restaurateurs go wrong and the next 10 years

What’s your advice to restaurants in difficult times?

In my own business I’m very aware that you have to react instantly to changing trading conditions: cutting down on overheads, reducing costs, tapering menus, you have to react straightaway, not wait. In today’s climate we’re producing figures weekly, not monthly, you have to be on top of what’s happening. We opened the York and Albany as the credit crunch hit and we’re offering an £18 lunch menu.

Nowadays you have to offer some sort of bargain, so customers think they’ve had an amazing time, a good deal, they don't question the bill and they’ll hopefully come again – soon – to repeat the experience.

What can the best local restaurants offer?

Local restaurants act as a pillar in our society. On the whole it's the smaller individual outlets which serve the freshest produce, often local to the area. A good establishment doesn't cook off a year-old menu but uses the best produce available in the area that day.

The Great British Breakfast - something that restaurants can do really well?

There's nothing quite like a traditional cooked English breakfast. I think that provided the ingredients are sourced and cooked well a restaurant can do a fantastic breakfast. We serve an amazing one at Plane Food at T5 - toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, tomato and mushrooms, the full works - delicious.

From all your experience, what classic mistakes do restaurant owners make and how can they rectify them?

The secret of a good local restaurant is knowing your customers and catering for them. Do your research. A lot of people open restaurants out of vanity, people who can’t even boil an egg. That’s like me buying a rugby club because I like the game. One of my biggest bugbears is that you don’t need any qualifications to do it. People fall into love with an idea and don’t want to learn their craft, which takes years – time and commitment.

Give us a tip - what are the things you should never order in dodgy restaurants?

Never order fish on a Monday. Always ask to see the kitchen while you’re on your way to the loo – absolutely crucial. If any restaurant serves you frozen mussels, get out immediately.

What’s the last meal you would ever eat?

Tradition dictates that this would have to be a classic roast dinner. We always have proper roast at the weekend for our family meal. So I would start off with a delicious minestrone soup, followed by leg of lamb with all the trimmings, and for dessert I’d have Bakewell tart.

Who would be your four ideal dinner guests, and why?

Tana. David and Victoria Beckham - David is a secret foodie and Victoria is running a lot at the moment so she eats like a horse. And my mum, so when the conversation gets out of hand she can keep us in line.

What are your earliest memories of cooking?

It was always mum who cooked at home - simple meals, fish fingers, soup and home-made chips, which I loved. Sometimes she'd cook tripe which I used to hate, the smell would stay around for days. Cooking wasn't a passion when I was young, I was far more interested in kicking a football around. Having to help with tea at home on an evening was just another chore. The determination needed for both football and cooking are immense, the mindset needed is very similar. When I left football behind and started in a professional kitchen I wanted to keep them apart, I was determined not to let the two worlds collide. It seems odd now but it meant everything at the time.

In your view can anybody become a great chef with a little training and experience?

No. Absolutely not. Cooking’s a passion. You need 15 or 20 years to really understand what you’re doing. There’s a saying, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. When young chefs perfect one dish, they think that’s great. But it’s not the one dish, it’s everything else that comes with it that counts.

Who would you choose to cook for you?

Alain Ducasse, because he’s a huge source of inspiration and in my opinion he’s the greatest living chef in the world today. He is the first chef to run three three-star restaurants simultaneously (and over two continents). When people question how standards can be kept high across the restaurants then Ducasse is the man to point to, an incredible chef.

Are you capable of making a bad meal?

From the first day you walk into a kitchen you never ever send a mistake out so yes, I’ve made mistakes, but I never send out a bad meal. The day I do that is the day I stop cooking.

Where will you be in 10 years?

I’ll be 52. I intend to still be nurturing future talent. There are so many different focuses in the coming year – the relaunch of the Savoy Grill, a new food and wine academy, relaunching Petrus. It’s hard to look that far ahead when I’m so busy in the present. When I stop it will be the reverse of the last 30 years: I’ll open a restaurant for one day a week and take off the next six! Ask me again in 9 1/2 years and maybe then I’ll be able to tell you.

Watch Gordon's new project, 9pm, Friday, January 30th on Channel 4.

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