Gordon Ramsay: ‘If you don’t want to hear my opinion, don’t ask me’

There aren’t many people who have successfully straddled the world of fine dining, TV and popular culture quite like Gordon Ramsay.

The chef – whose restaurants have been awarded a total of 17 Michelin stars over his career – made professional cooks quake in their boots in the likes of Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen. And who could forget the “idiot sandwich” skit?

But his TV persona, including a lot of shouting and swearing, has never been an act, he says.

“I’m a passionate guy. I call it as I see it. I’m straight to the point – some people need that, some people can’t abide by that. I care about what I’m doing, I care about what I’m teaching,” the 58-year-old says, whose restaurant empire includes his three-star establishment Restaurant Gordon Ramsay.

Known for being just as straight-talking inside his professional kitchens, many chefs who have worked under him credit his brilliance, and his bluntness.

“There’s a price to pay for success, there’s a price to pay for knowledge – so that persona is not amped because it’s TV, it’s real. I know my s***. So if you’re going to ask my opinion, if you don’t want to hear it, then don’t ask me.

“I’m not going to change. It’s real – I’m not going to give a corporate bulls*** answer to kiss somebody’s butt.”

Does he swear as much in his day-to-day life? “Not really. [But] if I come across an idiot and I want to tell him to f*** off, I am going to tell him to, 100%.”

By this point in his career, he expects public discourse on what he does. “I don’t care about people criticising me. I got criticised last week for wearing sunscreen because of ‘the chemicals’,” he notes, after sharing on Instagram that he had a basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, removed.

“I promise you it’s not a face lift! I’d need a refund,’ he posted.

He is perhaps expecting a few raised eyebrows for his latest collaboration, being part of the promo for Burger King’s new premium burger, The Wagyu – an £11, first-of-its-kind burger at fast food chains.

“I know I’m going to get criticised… they’re allowed to have opinions but taste the burger first and then come for me,” Ramsay says, although it is specifically ‘Not Made By Gordon’ as of the campaign.

“I think, from a chef’s point of view, the most exciting thing is the British farms. For the first time, [it’s] 100% British beef wagyu, and that’s quite a rarity… When I put my head on my pillow tonight, it’s supporting the farmers.”

The raising of wagyu cattle – which produce highly prized beef, known for being particularly tender and marbled, and Japanese in heritage – has been growing in Britain in recent years, by crossing the breed with British dairy cows.

“Everyone thinks that we need to draw on Japan for their wagyu, or American wagyu, but to have our own British wagyu? Come on, let’s f***ing celebrate!” says Ramsay, “just like we were 15 years ago, celebrating beautiful wine coming from Kent and sparkling [English] wine that’s now on my menu in Bordeaux.

“We’re going through one of the most difficult times in the hospitality sector… It’s brutal out there. Absolutely brutal,” he adds. But, “I can put it on the spotlight of what we’re producing now.”

The fast food chain’s new gourmet offering is topped with onions ‘three ways’ (“a little bit cheffy,” quips Ramsay) caramelised onions, pink pickled onions and crispy onions, rocket and caramelised onion mayo in a brioche bun – the idea being that lots of diners want their burgers a bit more gourmet now.

Ramsay himself owns a chain of gourmet burger joints – Street Burger by Gordon Ramsay – so what is the secret to cooking a great burger at home?

“Literally take it out the fridge 10 minutes before you cook it,” he says. “Don’t cook it ice cold, let it rest a little bit. Lightly season it, also a little drizzle of oil, and then into the pan.

“And only flip it once, and then just place either a lid or a little weight on there and just lightly press it, and that helps caramelise on the outside, so you get a bit more texture there.”

At home, cook a burger for “two minutes each side”, he insists – but let it rest for the same time that you cooked it. “So let it rest for four minutes before you bite into it.

And “the bun is crucial, and that bun needs to be toasted so it doesn’t go so soggy.”

When cooking his own he’s partial to a “a little bit of sriracha, some chilli flakes and a fried egg on top of my burger – I’d take take that all day long over cheese because the flavour of that yolk and that burger and the crispy egg white at the side.

“I’d eat a burger minimum once a week, over indulgence between twice a week.”

What really boils his blood about home-cooking mistakes though is “a lack of method”, saying: “Everyone thinks they can sort of wing it. It’s fine when you eat for yourself, but when you’re hosting a party do a little plan, put it into four [stages] A, B, C, D – the prep, the timings, the re-siting and the fourth is delegate.

“The amount of stress inside that kitchen is ridiculous because it gets so pent up. And the secret behind any great dinner party, get your mate to bring the starter, focus on the main and get somebody else to bring the dessert, and then you’ll see the elevation across that dinner.”

For a chef who made his name via the traditional, classically trained, professional kitchen route, Ramsay has embraced the power of social media later in his career (his TikTok account ‘Ramsay Reacts’ shows his real-time reactions to terrible home-cooking).

“There’s a level of despise where chefs now get frustrated that influencers are filling their restaurants – go with it, OK? Move with it, or it will move you,” he advises.

“Use it to your advantage, and it’s an exciting tool to monetise as a marketing tool. Create something exciting, put it out there, let it go viral, and then within seconds, there’s bookings coming through to the restaurant.

“You have to stay ahead of the curve, you really do. I think having three daughters, especially Tilly and Holly, have really helped push that. They’ve taught me a hell of a lot. I’ll put it down to them.”

The Wagyu, part of the Gourmet Kings range, is available at Burger King UK nationwide from September 9 for a limited time only.