His master's choice

While Gordon Ramsay's coverage in the national press could be described as prolific, few people are given a real insight into his kitchen. Out of respect to his chefs, Ramsay says, he rarely takes stagiaires at his two-year-old restaurant.

Last week, though, Ramsay created a unique opportunity when he invited 50 chefs to dine at his restaurant at a heavily discounted price, receive a tour of his recently extended kitchen, and be presented with a signed copy of his third book, A Chef For All Seasons, out this week.

Cooking philosophies

A five-course lunch was served, after which Ramsay, his chef de cuisine Mark Askew and the chef-proprietor of Pétrus and Ramsay's partner, Marcus Wareing, answered questions on their training, cooking philosophies and ambitions.

Ramsay told diners that he had decided to run the Chef Eats Out event because he had enjoyed the first one, run in September 1996 (in conjunction with the publication of his first book, Passion For Flavour), and wanted to give something back to the industry.

"Back at Harvey's, when I was a 19-year-old chef, Marco [Pierre White] sent the brigade to eat at the Waterside Inn for lunch," explained Ramsay. "It was a lovely setting; we had an intimate table of five; and it gave me a proper insight into a restaurant running to perfection. As a three-Michelin-starred restaurant, it was something my salary could not have afforded at the time, but it was a unique opportunity for me to meet Michel [Roux]. I wanted to create the same situation with Chef Eats Out."

Ramsay added that his lunch at the Waterside Inn, 14 years ago, helped him make a serious decision about the direction of his career. "Only you can stop it from becoming a reality," he advised his diners, who travelled from as far afield as Bays Bistro at Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear, the Grand hotel in Eastbourne, the Uplands hotel at Crook in County Durham, and the Fortfield hotel at Sidmouth in Devon.

The two-Michelin-starred chef gave a synopsis of the working day of the kitchen, explaining that it now functions 24 hours a day in order to prove bread and dip chocolates, for example. The restaurant remains closed on Saturdays and Sundays, though a night shift arrives at about 8pm. Being closed on Saturdays has made a big difference for his brigade. "I like them to be eating out on a Saturday night," he said. "They may have to pay extortionate amounts of money to see other restaurants, but it is an important part of their education."

For Ramsay's senior chefs, he concluded, he tries to manage a stage to New York or Paris. For example, sous chef Richard Wood has recently returned from Daniel Boulud in New York. "It's true that a chef is only as good as his brigade," Ramsay said. "Their understanding is of paramount importance to me."