'Top' Chef blasts pub food
Marcus Wareing, of Michelin-starred restaurant Petrus, has said that airline food is better the what is served up in most of Britain's pubs.
Wareing said quality and service is "simply higher" than the "pathetic offerings" in pubs.
Speaking in Waitrose Food magazine, he added: "In most locals, the menu rarely gets better than tinned soup, sandwiches that have been hanging around for three or four hours and a heap of tasteless meat or fish that's been deep-fried to hell and back."
"When did you last hear about someone getting food poisoning on a plane?"
Your CommentsRobert Feal-Martinez via email 26/06/2006"The man is clearly talking rubbish, as most celebrity chefs do. They are self promoting, barely adequate cooks, whose offerings would not satisfy the average pub diner, and would be more at home in the Tate Gallery. The reality is more and more people are dining in pubs than swanky over priced restaurents. As an avid amirer (NOT) of these programmes like Hell's Kitchen etc, it is clear for all to see that these celebrity chefs could never survive in a pub kitchen, turning out quality food at reasonable prices, without an Army of assistants. I would defy any of them to turn out 50 meals on a Saturday night with just one Cook, one assistant cook and 2 waiting staff, all in two and a half hours. We do that week in week out as do thousands of other pubs. Give me the skills my wife has any time as against those of Celebrity Chefs. Our food may not have fancy names but our 80% repeat business says it all. "
Robert Kemp, via email 26/06/2006I think the title of Top Chef is a little off the mark. Marcas Waring is a wannabe top chef living off the back of Gorden Ramsey. Are these comments designed to impress upon us that he is now big enough to stand on his own two feet after Ramseys comments about pub food improving?
Clearly he is a poorly informed, egotistical wally who needs to worry more about publicity at any costs than making truly informed comments.
Our pub company is in great, year on year, growth due to maintaining exellent standards of food at all times. Maybe everybody in the pub trade should boycott his establishment on the basis that the food is rubbish (or did i just make that up Marcus as I never have, and now never will, go to your overpriced and downright snobby cafe).
John Ripper, via email 26/06/2006Marcus Wareing needs to get of the kitchen at Petrus and see the world. Cooking for the Queen has certainly gone to his head.
Both my youngest children have entertained my partner and me to some well presented meals in the pub restaurant establishments they worked in. I can't say that about the rubber offerings we have had on board well known airlines when travelling to the USA!
Bryan Turner, via email 27/06/2006Who is this man? I, as well as thousands of other Pub Chefs, don't have time to watch poncy 'Food' TV.
It winds me up when you hear all of these 'Michelin Stars in there eyes' Chefs rubbishing the Pub Food Trade. He probably has 6 or 7 assistants doing all of the hard graft so he can then turn out food that looks like it has come out of a plastic mould and your'e not quite sure weather to eat it or put it on your mantlepiece to show all of your friends!
Celebrities should keep themselves to themselves and let us get on with a days hard work uninterrepted by benign commentary.
P.S. When did you last hear of food poisining from Tinned Soup or "Fish that has been deep fried to hell and back"
Idiot!
