Gordon Ramsay slams Delia

8:06am Monday 12th May 2008

Wandsworth celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has slammed fellow TV cook Delia Smith.

The plain-speaking star of Channel 4's The F Word said Smith's latest recipe book, How to Cheat at Cooking, was an insult to his profession.

I expect students struggling on £15 a week to survive eating from a can. But the nation's all-time icon reducing us down to using frozen, canned food. It's an insult."

Gordon Ramsay

Speaking to BBC Five Live the foul-mouthed chef said: "I expect students struggling on £15 a week to survive eating from a can. But the nation's all-time icon reducing us down to using frozen, canned food. It's an insult.

"And it makes our lives, from a chef's point of view, a lot harder. Here we are trying to establish a reputation across the world for this country's food and along comes Delia and tips it out of a can. That hurts."

He added: "She removed all intimidation out of food, gave the nation an amazing amount of joy for years.

"I'm frustrated that we have to teach the nation to cook from a tin, tinned mince! So I'm insulted and I share that view with a lot of top chefs."

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