Even the mice are fleeing Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants. The Hell’s Kitchen chef, who runs a culinary empire, is reportedly in deep financial trouble. Some say the tune of his woes goes as deep as about £18 million.
Ramsay blames much of the trouble on his father-in-law who was, until recently, Ramsay’s business partner. Chris Hutchinson, the father-in-law, has apparently been banned from all Ramsay restaurants and offices after resigning his position as CEO of Ramsay’s holding company.
The reality of the matter may be that Ramsay’s fine dining establishments have been taking a hit since the money crunch began in 2008. During that year, it has been revealed that Gordon Ramsay Holdings took a £8 million shot. After that, their relationship continued to decline over expansion, profits, and the alleged allegation that Ramsay had cheated on Hutchinson’s daughter for years.
Meanwhile, diners in London reported watching staff give chase to a rodent for 30 minutes during a dinner seating at Ramsay’s Maze Grill.
Following the success of the British Asparagus fortnight back in May, Gary Rhodes’ Michelin starred fine dining restaurant, Rhodes W1, is hosting an exclusive Truffle fortnight to celebrate the start of the new season.
Launched on the 12th October 2010, Head Chef and Gary Rhodes’ protégé, Paul Welburn, is treating guests to a fabulous four course menu from just £55.00 per person or seven courses for £75.00 per person.
The delicious menu includes ‘Truffled Jerusalem artichoke soup partridge and chestnut’, Truffle and pine nut crusted halibut celeriac and confit chicken wing’, ‘Beef Rossini’ and ‘White chocolate custard truffle sorbet’ for dessert.
Head Chef Paul Welburn says: “I worked closely with Gary to design this delightful menu in order to surprise people with something that they wouldn’t necessarily expect. This is going to be our first annual Truffle fortnight and we hope you will enjoy it as much as you enjoyed our British Asparagus menu.”
Designed by Kelly Hoppen, with beautiful antique mirrors draped in plush velvet, stunning Spina crystal chandeliers and original French chairs printed with Gary’s own handwritten recipes, Rhodes W1 is at the height of dining sophistication. Influenced by Gary’s style of classic British cuisine with a modern European twist, guests can enjoy award winning food in a luxurious setting.
Rhodes W1 Restaurant is located within the Cumberland Hotel at Marble Arch Station. For further information or to book a table visit www.rhodesw1.com or call 020 7616 5930
Jamie Oliver’s cooking centres could face closure because of spending cuts, the celebrity chef himself has revealed. He’s says that the very first of the centres ever to open, the one in Rotherham, is facing shut down by March.
The centres were places where Oliver put into practice his theory of better health and finance for the common man through food preparation. The theory is based on teaching people to prepare simple meals. Cooking at home with better, healthier foods equals weight loss and good nutrition for a significant part of the population.
Learning to prepare simple meals at home also saves consumers money when compared to the cost of going out to eat. It is in these ways that the centres were addressing the health and financial needs of the people. Also, they were teaching a sense of community, as another vital part of Oliver’s theory is that everyone who learns to cook at one of the centres should teach someone outside the centres how to do so as well.
Now it looks as if funding for the centres is drying up. Oliver says that they all are booked at three months running, so they are proving to be successful. The grants that established the centre in Rotherham are all but out of money, victims of government spending cuts in The Department of Health and The Governments and Local Communities Department.
The central government grant for Rotherham is also looking at a possible cut by 25 per cent to 35 per cent, so no help will come from there. Bradford and Leeds centres could be in trouble as well, as local council income could face cuts as early as next month.
Oliver is at a loss for the government cuts as he explains that the NHS spends 4 billion pounds yearly to treat obesity and diseases related to it. The budgets of all the centres combined are barely a fraction of that amount.
The Jervaulx Blue cheese has just been launched by the Wensleydale Creamery. The launch venue was the Launceston Place restaurant, the award-winning restaurant is home to star chef Tristan Welsh.
Although it might sound French, Jervaulx Blue is named after Yorkshire’s famous Jervaulx Abbey. The blue cheese is targeted at the sector of the market that is adopting a more continental taste and blends the traditional sharp blue cheese characteristics with a more creamy and sophisticated texture. The Wensleydale Creamery has launched the new branded blue range under the name Jervaulx Blue – not to appear more French but to reflect more than eight centuries of cheese making in the famous Yorkshire Dales.
Jervaulx Abbey was the home of the monks who originally crafted Wensleydale cheese around the year 1150. The Abbey is at one end of the Dale and the Wensleydale Creamery at the other end. The Abbey was destroyed by Henry VIII but the Wensleydale Creamery lives on and has kept the recipes pioneered by the monks alive and tasty!
David Hartley, Managing Director of The Wensleydale Creamery, said: “Jervaulx Blue has the texture and taste that will appeal to the modern British palate. We are becoming more continental in our tastes and this cheese mixes the best of the traditional British Blue with the creamy and soft texture more associated with continental cheeses. We are confident it will find favour with the customers of our supermarket, delicatessen and wholesaler clients.”
Jervaulx Blue will be available in shops from April. It comes in original new packaging depicting the window of the Abbey.
TV’s favourite astrologer, Russell Grant, will be taking part in Marco’s Kitchen Burnout Show will start tonight (16th April 2010) at 9pm on ITV1 for a 7 week run.
Russell has revealed the Cooking Styles for each Star Sign, plus a list of favourite cooking ingredients too:
Aries – Throw all the ingredients together and get the cooking over with as quickly as possible will be the Arian’s motto when it comes to food. Aries is an enthusiastic cook but they have no patience with dishes that take hours to prepare. They can surprise others by their inventive creations and Arians can be competitive in the kitchen!
Favourite ingredients: Garlic, spices, ginger, cloves, curry powder and anything that’s red!
Taurus – Taureans love their grub and are generous when cooking for others. They will be methodical in their cooking style and quite precise when it comes to measuring out ingredients. Taureans love baking and will always fall back on their favourite dishes; these are likely to be family recipes handed down to them from their grandparents.
Favourite ingredients: Flour, yeast, sugar, eggs, parsley, black pepper, sorrel and chocolate
Gemini – Spontaneous and versatile the Gemini cook will go with the mood of the moment. This might mean preparing a quick meal in next to no time or spending hours experimenting with new dishes. Geminis learn through reading and are likely to have a large store of cookery books.
Favourite ingredients: Chicken, lentils, sardines, soybeans, macaroni, bananas, and cucumbers
Cancer – Cancer is strongly influenced by the foods that were served to them as a child and they will be keen to follow on family traditions. Home baked goodies are what the Cancerian will regularly offer their loved-ones and they love to cook for their family. They will gladly provide others with cooking advice whenever it is needed!
Favourite ingredients: Cheese, grains, ham, milk, cinnamon, suet, almonds, eggs, fish and fresh vegetables
Leo – Intensely passionate about the food they eat and prepare, Leos love to cook for their family and friends and their aim is to impress their guests! They will enjoy cooking popular dishes for the family and experimenting with new ones for when they entertain.
Favourite ingredients: Red wine, garlic, carrots, chilli, garlic, red meats, tomato, chocolate and yoghurt
Virgo – Health-conscious Virgo will choose healthy methods of cooking with lots of fresh ingredients. They’re sticklers for following recipes precisely. Virgo will be creative about using leftovers, using leftover rice and pasta for instance in salads and whipping fruit up into a smoothie. Health often comes first for Virgo even if it means sacrificing taste.
Favourite ingredients: Vegetables, fruit and nutritious dairy products, dried herbs, spices, prawns and mayonnaise
Libra – Librans will put the creative skills into their cooking and everything they make will be beautifully presented. All dishes will be decorated and will look as if they have been lovingly prepared. Colour is also important to the Libran who will have turned cooking into an art!
Favourite ingredients: Apples, banana, noodles, pasta, lemons, cloves and cinnamon
Scorpio – Scorpios are perfectionist in the kitchen and there will be occasions when these dedicated cooks will follow recipes step-by-step. Other times they will guess the ingredients and seem to intuitively know what’s needed to turn out a delicious meal. Somehow they always seem to get the right quantity and mixture right.
Favourite ingredients: White wine, lemon juice, basil, veal and lobsters
Sagittarius – Sagittarians love to travel and will often go for ethnic foods, wok dishes and they respect the cultural rituals that go into preparing food. They learn through experimentation and will never be put off by failure. Sagittarius will also go for any recipe that lets them fire up the grill or barbecue.
Favourite ingredients: Meat, red peppers, cranberries, curry, pizza sauce and game
Capricorn – The Capricorn cook will prefer to roast and bake and will go for recipes that take hours to prepare. Capricorns actually find it quite therapeutic to give painstaking attention to their cooking and making their favourite dishes will help them unwind. Chopping vegetables is great for Capricorn to release pent-up emotions.
Favourite ingredients: Oatmeal, chicken stock, steak and salmon
Aquarius – The trend-setting Aquarius has an innovative and creative cooking style. They will rarely consult recipe books and will happily experiment by mixing weird ingredients together often to come up with something wonderfully delicious! From bread machines to panini grills, Aquarius will love their cooking gadgets.
Favourite ingredients: Spaghetti, pasta, corn, sour cream and chicken
Pisces – Pisceans will enjoy experimenting with fish dishes and other fresh produce.
Steaming will be their favourite method of cooking. Once they have a basic knowledge of cookery, they will enjoy trying out new recipes and will occasionally surprise by going for something different and exotic.
Favourite ingredients: Rice, noodles and pasta, seafood, caviar and wine
You can also win a dinner cooked personally by Russell Gran
Russell Grant Competition – Win a Dinner with Russell Grant!
What better way to spend time with your partner or friend than by indulging in a lavish dinner cooked by Russell Grant. Russell will prepare and cook a 3 Course Dinner at his home in Snowdonia, North Wales and then join you whilst you enjoy your exclusive dinner with the UK’s No.1 Astrologer. The Winner will be amazed at the 3 Course Dinner prepared, thanks to Russell’s new culinary skills!
To enter this exclusive and once in a lifetime competition, simply visit WWW.KITCHENBURNOUT.COM plus you can read all the latest show gossip from Russell too. Remember to tune into ITV1 9pm on Friday’s to catch up on the show!
Credits: www.kitchenburnout.com and www.russellgrant.com
When we think about cooking with cheese we tend to think of using parmesan in our pasta, or some mature cheddar topped on toast, but there are a lot of different recipes out there involving cheese and similarly there are a lot of different cheeses.
In fact in France alone, there are over 1,000 different kinds of cheeses made, that range from Camembert to Époisses and of course the well known goat’s cheese which delight’s everyone’s palate. This creamy cheese comes in lots of flavours and textures from the mildest soft cheese to the hardest strong cheese and tastes great when baked in the oven and spread on bread.
Goat’s cheese is made all over France and especially in the Loire Valley and Poitou regions; it is great tasting and also makes a great alternative for those that are allergic to cow’s milk.
In the following video, chef Sophie Wright shows you just how simple it is to create a simple but tasty goat’s cheese, roasted beetroot and parsnip salad that you can enjoy anytime.
