Gordon Ramsay defends staying in Cornwall during first lockdown

Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has defended spending much of the first coronavirus lockdown at his second home in Cornwall with his family.

The celebrity chef came under fire from some Cornish people after he spent much of the first Covid lockdown in the Duchy, instead of in his London home.

In an interview with the Radio Times, he has defended the decision saying it gave him cherished time with his children.

The 55-year-old said his family had an "amazing" time together.

“God knows why we took so much s*** from the Cornish," he said.

“We lived down there; we just hadn’t been down there for a long time. We didn’t sneak down there at all.

“We got there at an appropriate time and had an absolutely amazing time. And a time like that – we’ll never get back again.

“When the kids started disappearing again, I didn’t want it to end – as a dad, not a chef.”

During the interview, the chef also said Covid lockdowns have eliminated bad restaurants taking advantage of their “prime locations”.

He said the past two years have been "devastating" for the industry, but said the upside is "the c***'s gone" now.

Asked if he meant any particular chains, he said: “Well, just s***holes in a prime position and taking advantage because they’re in a great location and they’ve got the footfall.

“But now we’ve wiped the slate clean, which is good.”

Ramsay said he now expects there to be permanent changes to the food industry, such as a boost in quality.

He added: “Customers have got so much smarter in the last two years. They know a lot more about food than they ever have done and have been making their own sourdough, so it’s taught everyone (in the restaurant industry) to raise their game.

“Raise. Your. Game. It’s wiped the arrogance from the industry.”