Letters

Gordon Ramsay: for and against

In response to the accusation that students are being put off by Gordon Ramsay's swearing, shouting and colourful language, I have to disagree. I trained under Gordon at the Mayfair hotel in London during my apprenticeship and he had the same attitude then as he has now. It taught me a lot about the discipline and character required to work in a quality establishment.

Michael Coaker was, and remains, the executive head chef at the Mayfair hotel and his disciplined methods together with those of his brigade at the time have made me the chef that I am today.

Whilst I do not wish to swear and scream at any of my staff and work colleagues, I have learnt a style of discipline that enables me to extract the best from them, and it is thanks to quality chefs like Coaker and Ramsay that I am able to do that.

I think catering students should really understand the great pressures that are involved in the industry and make their own judgements on how they cope with them - and realise that you cannot be wrapped up in cotton wool for your entire working career.

Steve Mabbutt

Head Chef, General Medical Council.

Gordon Ramsay is justly or unjustly portrayed as a bombastic, egotistical chef with no respect for his staff [in the television programme Ramsay's Boiling Point]. His attitudes, language and total demeanour do nothing to encourage and promote young people to join our industry.

Paul Green, Preston.

Gordon's bully-boy behaviour is intolerable and it is with disbelief that I watch his workforce comply. Why do they stay?

Royd Laidlow, Oxford.

I do not condone Gordon Ramsay's style of management, but I do believe that certain issues are being overlooked.

Many people have claimed that the television programme portrays a negative image of the industry. Yes, that is true, but I think our biggest problem is that it portrays a true image of the industry.

Ramsay is not the first chef to shout at or humiliate staff and I am sure he will not be the last. I have been associated with the industry for 13 years and have heard many disturbing stories about chefs who have gone on to become captains of industry. Now that they have removed themselves from the hands-on demands of the kitchen, they are hypocritically condemning Mr Ramsay's behaviour.

In some ways, I think Ramsay's Boiling Point sends out positive messages. The hospitality industry has long been regarded as an industry suited to school leavers who failed academically. The programme shows that this industry is not a pushover: the hours are long, its bosses are demanding and its standards are increasing all the time. The staff working with Ramsay are preparing and serving some of the finest and most creative food currently available in Britain - they know that their time in his restaurant is invaluable and when they leave it they will have a "passport" to work in virtually any restaurant in the world.

Name and address withheld

It's surprising that Ramsay has not had someone give him a good clout on the nose.

J Ryall

Liskeard, Cornwall.

Come on, Gordon, the language may be acceptable to footballers but not to skilled craftsmen within our industry.

Mike Coram

Cardiff.

The abhorrent thing is: I suspect Ramsay's restaurant will be fully booked for months by the rich and obnoxious who think that if terrorising the staff means their soufflés will be perfect, then the end justifies the means.

David Craig Mawson

London SE6.

Having worked in quality kitchens, I understand the pressure and high level of stress Gordon Ramsay works under. What he has failed to do is inspire and ignite a positive interest from the viewer, which is a wasted opportunity. The media has got what it wanted: a programme of shock and reaction.

But it would be unfair to blame Ramsay alone for the projected decline of chefs in the future. Who else shares the blame? Every sector involved in the industry - hotels, restaurants, fast-food outlets, colleges, training agencies, universities, government, the media - the lot.

At Grimsby College we have run a scheme called "I'm a Junior Chef" for nearly two years. With a waiting list of over 20, we have 44 nine- to14- year-olds learning to cook properly on a Saturday morning. And yet, when they leave school, we will be lucky to get 24 who want to be chefs.

The question is not why, but how does industry improve the situation? Hotels and restaurants should really get involved with colleges and schools long-term - not just as a quick public relations fix - and offer better industrial experience and better conditions.

If you want to know how you can help, contact your local college, university or, failing this, me. At craft level, statistics suggest that colleges are by far the best source of long-term recruitment.

Mick Cooper

Curriculum Manager, Hospitality Service Industries Division, Grimsby College.