Restaurant critic Jay Rayner and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay have gone head-to-head on Twitter after Rayner tweeted Ramsay criticising his management style.
The multi-Michelin awarded chef’s most recent show Future Food Stars began on the BBC at the beginning of March.
The format sees Ramsay clashing with several contestants, occasionally resulting in clashes and tears.
On Thursday evening, Rayner, who is a restaurant critic and a regular guest on BBC’s Masterchef, tweeted: “Is this still all you have @GordonRamsay? Shouting at people? Swearing at people? Humiliating people? Making people cry? Then punching the air when the cameras turns off?”
Less than half an hour later, Ramsay, 55, replied: “Jay you inspire me every day… especially after your performance on the Weakest Link. Goodbye”, and a heart emoji.
Rayner, 55, replied: “The first time I won it mate. The second time I came third. And neither time did I make anybody cry.”
Ramsay replied: “Jay your professional job is stuffing your face on the back of great chefs. When are you going to get a real job ?? Goodbye”.
In response, Rayner said: “My working life is a bit more complicated than that, Gordon love. I’m a writer, including of books. I’ve written all the books that have my name on them, for example. (Btw ‘professional job’ is a tautology. You can’t have a job which isn’t professional. Happy to help.)”
Social media users commented on the disagreement, with one user writing: “I honestly don’t understand it, why is toxic masculinity associated with cooking? You’re not in the army lads, you’re boiling broccoli.”
Another wrote: “I’ve always found it bizarre that his shouting, belittling and humiliation was touted as entertainment, just makes me cringe. Glad someone, at last, is calling it out.”
There was some disagreement, however, with one person writing: “I’m not understanding Jay’s criticism at all. GR is encouraging them. I’ve not seen any shouting, belittling or anything of the sort. He’s been great. Are we talking about the BBC1 show? [sic]”
This isn’t the first time the pair have clashed. In 2018, Rayner hit out at Ramsay for “glamorising bullying” after a clip of the chef shouting at kitchen staff circulated on social media.
In the two-minute-long clip, Ramsay can be heard repeatedly insulting employees, saying: “You stuck up, precious little b****”, “you bulls***ing little f***er” and “you’re a f***ing joke”.
Commenting on the clip, Rayner tweeted: “What a sad, inadequate man. This is everything that has been wrong about restaurant kitchen culture.
“Because he suffered violence and abuse as a young cook, Ramsay thinks it’s character building and so the cycle continues.
“All he’s doing is glamourising bullying.”
Ramsay has courted controversy throughout his career.
In the last month alone, he has said that Covid had got rid of “crap restaurants”, as well as saying that he “loves Cornwall, but can’t stand the Cornish”, despite having a second home in the region.
The Independent has reached out to Jay Rayner and Gordon Ramsay’s representatives for comment.
